His Mate
by fuzzy1713
Summary: Natsu and Lucy share a single night together, but the next day Natsu claims to have forgotten the whole thing which leaves Lucy heartbroken and confused. Weeks later Lucy finds out she's pregnant. As the life she knew crashes down around her, how will she move on & raise her child on her own without Natsu knowing it's his own? How long before Natsu's own secret emerges?
1. Chapter 1

_"Luce." I glanced up from my writing to see Natsu sitting casually on my bed, the window open behind him. _

_Sighing, I gestured to it with my hand. "How many times have I asked you not to climb into my room? Can't you just knock for once in your life?" I rolled my eyes at him before returning them to my book. I'd grown used to him breaking into my apartment and besides a short lecture every now and again I couldn't really bring myself to care anymore. _

_"Lucy," I heard Natsu get up softly, but I did my best to tune his noise out. I'd been experiencing some intense writer's block for the past 15 minutes and I wasn't willing to give in just yet. I had promised to have the next chapter to Levy by tomorrow and I still hadn't reached a good stopping point. Biting my bottom lip, I slowly brought my pen to the paper but before I could write any more, I felt a heavy hand fall gently on my shoulder. Surprised I turned again to see Natsu inches from me. Glancing up at his face I saw that his eyes were dark and filled with an emotion I'd never seen on him before. If I didn't know anymore I would have labeled it as lust. _

_"Natsu...are you okay?" I asked, leaning backward in an effort to create some more space between us. In response to my movement, Natsu leaned forward, bringing his face close to my own. His breath mixed with mine and I could smell alcohol mixed heavily in it. "Did you get in another drinking contest with Cana, Natsu? I know you hate losing but haven't you figured out by now that that is one challenge you can't possibly win?"_

_"No Lucy." I frowned in confusion and he continued. "I'm not okay, I'm hungry. Starving really."_

_"Alright, well if you move, I'll go make you something to eat." I tried to move around him but suddenly his lips were pressed against mine. Startled I tried to pull back, but his hand snaked up my arm and to the back of my head, holding me firmly against him. _

_After a minute or two, he pulled back slowly, his pitch black eyes looking into mine. "I don't want food Luce. I want you." _

͠

Jerking awake, I stared up at my ceiling for a moment. Heat was coursing through my veins and I struggled to suppress it. It had been almost three weeks since our hookup and I had been dreaming about it ever since. At the time it had been the best night of my life, but now...it brought me nothing but pain.

"Lucy!" I flinched at the sound of my partner. For once he remained outside my apartment, but I knew if I didn't responded quickly he'd be up here in flash

Without moving, I called back to him, "I'll be right out Natsu, just give me a minute to get dressed." When he didn't reply I figured he got the message and slowly climbed out of bed.

Slowly, I made my way to my bathroom. Closing the door, I went to the sink and splashed some water on my face before looking at myself in the mirror. My eyes were red and had deep bags underneath them; I couldn't remember falling asleep last night, which meant that I had cried myself to sleep again last night. Ever since that night three weeks ago I'd been miserable, but I did my best to hide it from everybody. It wasn't like I could exactly explain it to them or that they could make me feel better.

Taking a deep breath, I thought over what had happened that night and what had followed afterwards. Natsu had been drunk that night but as soon as he had started kissing me I had forgotten that fact. Besides he had seemed plenty in control of his actions. So I had given into the feelings I'd been repressing for the past few months and slept with him. Shortly after falling asleep however, I had woken up to find myself alone; Natsu gone sometime in the night. Despite that, I had been happy. Natsu and I felt the same way for each other. Our night together was proof that he loved me too; or so I thought. Yet when I arrived at the guild, I found that I was wrong. So wrong. Natsu remembered nothing about our night together, apparently he couldn't remember anything after getting in a drinking contest with Cana. I'd been heartbroken upon hearing that and to make matters worse, he spent the rest of the day glued to Lisanna's side. Things had only gotten worse since then. About two weeks later I had started feeling nauseous around certain foods and I was late by over a week. For days I'd been avoiding the inevitable, but deep down I knew. So last night I had left the guild earlier than usual and bought myself a pregnancy test and sure enough, it came out positive.

"Lucy?" Startled, I cried out. Spinning around, I saw Happy floating in the doorway to my bathroom. "Sorry. It was just taking you so long. Natsu sent me to make sure you were alright."

Smiling weakly, I nodded. "Of course Happy. Why don't you and Natsu go ahead to the guild? I'll be right there. There's just a few things I have to take care of first." He nodded once before his face turned mischievous.

"Does it involve fish?" Taking a deep breath, I shook my head.

"No Happy it does not. I have one in the fridge though. Why don't you go ahead and take it. I need to go to the store soon anyway." He smiled and raced towards me; giving me a hug.

"Thanks Lucccyyyy!" Seconds later he was gone and I was free to continue getting ready.

* * *

Upon reaching the guild, I quickly took in where everyone was: Natsu sure enough was shoveling down food and seated next to Lisanna who was conversing with her sister, Erza was arguing with Grey about his stripping problem while Juvia looked on from afar and Gajeel was seated by himself watching a certain bluenette from the corner of his eye. Following his gaze, I spotted my best friend and quickly made my way over to her.

"Levy." Glancing up from her book, she smiled up at me.

"Hey Lucy, how are you?"

Without bothering to answer her question, I spoke hurriedly. "I need to talk to you. It's important." Immediately Levy's face grew serious and she closed her book as she stood up. She followed me as I walked towards the back of the guild where there was a room we normally went to whenever we needed to gossip or just have some alone time.

As soon as the door was closed, Levy turned on me. "What's going on Lu-chan?"

I bit my lip. I had never told her about the whole Natsu and me thing to begin with and now it seemed so much harder. "I need you to let me finish before you say or ask anything. okay?" She nodded, miming zipping her mouth shut. I giggled slightly at her action before starting. "Well, I don't know how much you've noticed but something's happened recently and it's kind of big. Really big actually. Levy...I'm pregnant." I paused as her mouth dropped open; questions filling her eyes. "And before you ask, you're the first person I've told and I just found out last night. I've suspected for a while now though and I'm scared Lev because the father doesn't even remember us having sex and it's not exactly something I can just tell him. And it hurts Levy, that he can't remember because I'm pretty sure I'm in love with him and that he's in love with someone else and that even if I did tell him what happened it wouldn't mean anything to him or even worse he'd view it as a mistake and I can't handle that Levy. I'm already going to be raising this child, this beautiful creature, by myself and that'll be hard enough, but if I tell him and he tells me it was a mistake...I think it would break me. I couldn't handle it Levy. I couldn't." By the end of my explanation, tears were streaming down my face and Levy had tears in her own eyes.

"Oh Lu-chan! Why didn't you tell me sooner? Oh that doesn't matter. What matters is that you won't go through this alone. The entire guild will be there for you. All of us: me, Erza, Mira, Grey, Wendy, and Natsu too!" At his name, my sobs increased and Levy seemed to realize her mistake. "Lucy...was it...it was...?" She seemed unwilling to say his name again and I nodded. "But if it's...he doesn't remember?"

I shook my head. "It was after he got drunk. He came to my apartment and it just happened...but the next day he told everyone he couldn't remember a single thing from the night before. I was so happy Levy, how could he forget?" Levy pulled me against her in a tight hug as sobs racked my entire body. Everything I had been doing my best to hold in and keep from everyone was spilling out all at once and as painful as it was to explain it all, it also felt as if a weight had been lifted from my shoulders.

"I don't know Lu-chan. I really don't."

We stayed like that for a few minutes; until my tears had slowed. "Thanks Levy, I needed that."

She smiled briefly at me as she pulled away before her face grew serious again. "Lucy are you going to tell him?"

I shrugged. "I don't know. But I think I have to...I just don't want to either."

"He deserves to know. And you know he would never abandon you. You're his best friend." I flinched at the label and Levy grimaced apologetically.

"I know. I'm just scared. He clearly has feelings for Lisanna and I wouldn't be surprised if she was his mate at this point. If I tell him it could ruin all that for him. I don't want to be the reason he's miserable for the rest of his life." Levy shook her head.

"This couldn't possibly make him miserable Lucy. You're his nakama. Besides we don't know that Lisanna is his mate. For all we know you really are his mate and he just really did forget! I know you don't see it but to me and everyone else it's always seemed like Natsu had feelings for you." I smiled at her and shook my head sadly.

"I don't think so Lev. It just doesn't seem all that likely." Levy gripped my hands tightly in her own.

"Lu-chan. Promise that until you know for sure you won't give up. Natsu loves you. I know it." outwardly I smiled and nodded my agreement, but inside I was adamantly in disagreement. There was no way that Natsu loved me as anything more than a friend. However, if it appeased Levy I'd find out for sure.

"How about I talk to Gajeel? Find out from him before I confront Natsu?" Levy cocked her head to the side but nodded her agreement. "Alright. Well we better go back outside before someone starts wondering what we're doing back here."

Right on cue there came a knock to the door, "Luce?" I closed my eyes briefly at Natsu's voice. Opening them, I saw Levy mouth the words 'You okay' at me to which I nodded.

Walking to the door, I pulled it open. "What's up Natsu?" He studied me for a moment before giving me his signature grin.

"Great news!" I raised my eyebrow at him as Levy slipped out the door.

"And what would that be Natsu?" His grin seemed to falter for a moment but when I blinked it seemed as permanent as ever.

"I talked to Lisanna, Erza and Grey and we've all decided to go on a job." I blinked at him, ignoring the pit in my stomach.

"When are we leaving?" His grin fully slipped away and his face grew serious.

"Well, actually Luce," He raised his hand to scratch the back of his head nervously. "I was- I mean we were kind of hoping to keep it to just us four." My eyes widened and his dropped to the floor as he continued. "Before Lisanna disappeared, we were going to form a team just the four of us and now that she's back...we wanted to..." He trailed off unsure how to continue.

For a moment I only stared at him in shock. As much as I had expected Lisanna to take back the place I had filled while she was gone, I had never expected this. Natsu and I had been partners since he had first brought me to the guild, but here he was throwing it all in my face. All but telling me I had only been a replacement for the girl he had lost. Despite the betrayal and hurt I felt, a part of me recognized this as a blessing. Now I wouldn't have to come up with an excuse for not going on jobs until I was ready to tell the guild the truth. I was free to refrain from going on any dangerous or difficult missions that would be deadly for the human being growing in my stomach. All the same, it hurt to know my friends were in fact not truly there for me.

"Oh, my mistake!" I laughed to cover the strain in my voice. "Sorry. Of course you guys would want to go back to how things used to be! I should have seen it myself sooner. You guys really will be the strongest team now." Natsu's head snapped up at my words, his eyes drilling into my own.

"That's not what this is about Luce." I shivered at the intensity in his gaze and glanced away.

"I just meant that I was fine with it Natsu. You don't need to worry about me. I understand." My eyes roamed the guild behind Natsu and landed on Gajeel, my promise to Levy flashing into my mind. I didn't want to wait to confirm what I already knew to be true. "If you'll excuse me, I need to talk to someone..." Without waiting to hear Natsu's reply I quickly strode past him and towards the frightening Iron Dragon Slayer. Currently his eyes were focused onto a certain solid-script mage who had returned to reading her book.

"Gajeel?" Red eyes flashed to meet mine and I smiled weakly at him. "I was wondering if I could talk to you for a minute.." He raised an eyebrow, but nodded slowly. When he didn't move, I awkwardly gestured towards the guild doors. "In private? It's not exactly a conversation I'd like for others to over here." His normally expressionless face turned questioning, but he stood and walked with me out of the guild.

When we were a few meters away, he turned to me. "Whatcha got to say Bunny-girl?"

Swallowing the lump in my throat, I avoided his speculating eyes as I talked. "It's about Dragon Slayers...and their mates or whatever you call them." I paused wondering if he would say anything, when he didn't I quickly continued. "If a Dragon Slayer found his mate would he know?"

Gajeel studied me for a moment before answering, "Yes and no. It's not exactly cut and dry. We have one mate, but we wouldn't necessarily know as soon as we lay eyes on them. A dragon and their mate have an unbreakable bond and it takes time to develop."

"How much time?'

"Years. And that's if they spend almost every day together. Otherwise...decades." My eyes widened at his words. The entire process seemed complicated and exhausting. To wait so long for the person you were meant to be with? It sounded horrible. I could feel my curiosity burning; wanting to know more, but I still hadn't received an answer to the question I'd been avoiding. The one question I needed an answer to.

"Would they know it was their mate if they...mated with her." I winced internally at my own words; my eyes focused intently on a pebble between my feet.

"That's not exactly something we could forget." With those words all my hope came crashing down around me. So I had been right. There was no way that Natsu and I could ever really be together. I wasn't his mate. I wasn't anywhere close to that. Just a one night stand.

"Thanks Gajeel..." Thankfully my voice had remained steady, but even I could hear the obvious pain in my words.

"Why-" I shook my head and finally raised my eyes to meet his.

"For my novel. Levy told me that I should do some research before I continue writing this one scene I had planned out. She recommended a book, but I figured there was nothing more accurate than an actual Dragon Slayer. So thanks. You really helped me out." I smiled brightly at him before I turned to head back to the guild; not missing the critical look in his eye. I hadn't exactly fooled him, but I figured for the time being it didn't matter. Natsu would be leaving with Lisanna and the others on their mission soon and I could figure out how to cover myself after that. All that really matter was that Natsu remained clueless.


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N: Hey guys! New update for this story today! Sorry its short and more of a filler chapter, but I promise to have the next chapter up soon. Thanks for all the awesome reviews and follows/favorites! It made me feel great :) I'll do some actual responses to your comments on the next update because I'm currently on my ipad and it's too difficult without a computer but I wanted to get this up for you guys. Plus I'm lazy ;) Okay. Enjoy**

**BTW: I (sadly) own nothing.**

* * *

Walking back into the guild hall, my eyes connected with Levy's and I slowly shook my head. Immediately, she closed her book and made to get up, her mouth already open, but before she could say anything another voice called out my name.

"Lucy!" Breaking eye contact with Levy, I turned to see Lisanna approaching me. "Can I talk to you for a minute?"

"Of course!" I smiled, but my stomach had turned sour at her words. I liked Lisanna, I really did. She was as sweet and kind as her sister, but I couldn't control the part of me that was a little hateful towards her. Her return had been the beginning to my life falling apart.

"Great." She smiled and walked with me over to the bar. "It's about Team Natsu; I wanted to make sure you were really alright with everything."

"Why wouldn't I be? I understand that if you hadn't disappeared you and Natsu would have been partners. It wouldn't be fair for me to expect things to stay the same.I just filled in for you and now that your back, it's only right for you to be his partner." Lisanna shook her head sharply, her pretty blue eyes wide.

"You weren't a replacement Lucy. Please don't think that." I nodded, but I knew she was wrong. If I hadn't been a replacement for her than why was I getting kicked off Team Natsu? "Besides it'll only be for this one mission. After that all five of us-"

"No," I interrupted. "It won't Lisanna. Natsu, Erza, Grey and you make a far better team then we ever did. It's for the best; there are some things I need to take care of before I go on any more difficult jobs anyway. Honestly," I placed my hand on her arm and smiled the sweet smile I'd been trained to give all my life in order to hide my true emotions. "I'm happy for you. Don't worry about me. If you want something to worry about, worry about Natsu."

Lisanna cocked her head sideways at me, "what do you mean?"

I laughed. "That idiot almost always destroys something. Especially when Erza and Grey tag along. If your not careful you won't get any reward and end up owing the town money."

"Oh right! I forgot how chaotic things can get around Natsu." We laughed for a moment.

"What job are you taking anyway?"

Lisanna shrugged, "Natsu picked it and I didn't pay that close attention to it. I think we have to break-up a dark guild that's been bothering a town. It shouldn't take more than a few weeks."

I raised my eyebrows, dark guilds weren't something easily dealt with and it was surprising for such a difficult job to not be an S-class request. But I supposed with all four of them the dark guild didn't stand much of a chance. "When are you leaving?"

Lisanna glanced at the clock before standing up. "Now actually." My stomach dropped at her words. I had every intention of telling Natsu, but not today. "Everyone else is already waiting at the train station for me. I just wanted to talk to you first. Are you sure you're alright? You're welcome to come along."

I bite back a bitter laugh at her words. Already she acted like she had always been their teammate. Thinking over my reply, my hands lingered over my abdomen for a brief moment before I shook my head no. "I promise I'm fine. You better hurry, Erza's not one for waiting." Lisanna smiled and pulled me in for a short hug before racing off towards the doors.

For a few minutes I remained at the bar, staring into space, thinking over all that had happened today. In the course of a few hours, my entire life had changed. Not only had I been kicked off of Team Natsu, but I'd found out I was pregnant with a child who's father had no semblance of feelings for me-at least not how I cared for him. Suddenly a heavy weight seemed to settle on me and all my energy vanished. I was drained; emotionally and physically. All I wanted was to go home and crawl into my bed.

"Do you want anything Lucy?" I glanced up with heavy eyes to see Mira looking at me from behind the bar, a slightly worried expression on her face.

"No, I'm actually going to head home." Mira glanced at the clock, surprise written on her face.

"Are you feeling sick?"

"No, just tired. I have a lot going on." Mira's mouth twitched as if she wanted to say something but she stopped herself. Flashing her a weak smile, I got up and made my way back to my apartment.

* * *

Pushing open the door to my building, I sighed at the sight of my land lady standing between me and the stairs. Rent was due soon and no doubt she wanted to haggle me about it.

"Ms. Heartfilia!" I flinched as her harsh eyes landed on me. "Your rent is due at the end of the week, don't you forget again." I grumbled at her under my breathe. "What was that?"

I smiled flatly at her, "I said, don't worry ma'am. I'll get it to you on time. Now if you don't mind, I really need to get up to my apartment..." I attempted to squeeze past her large frame, but she thrust her hand out and grabbed my arm.

"Wait a moment missy," releasing me, she reached into one of her pockets and pulled out a letter. "This came for you today. A friend of yours is coming to visit. A man friend." Her eyes narrowed at me suspiciously.

"You read it!?" She huffed angrily at me.

"It's my duty! To think you would allow another man to stay with you. Why in my day-" Before she could continue, I grabbed the letter out of her hand and dashed up the stairs, my exhaustion forgotten in the wake of my annoyance.

"How dare that old toad read MY mail." I muttered to myself as I unlocked my door and slammed it shut.

Pulling out the letter, my eyes quickly scanned the familiar writing and I smiled upon seeing it was from my old friend, Jason.

_Lucy,_

_It's been ages since we last saw each other and I know_

_it may seem a bit rude of me, but I need your help._

_My father has disowned me in light of my recent, shall we_

_call them, escapades._

At that part, I giggled. No doubt he had been caught in bed with another servant. Probably a male this time if it was enough to get him kicked out of his parents house.

_Anyway, as I am now and forever cut off, I need somewhere_

_to stay. It would be only for a short period of time; until I am_

_able to find a place of my own that is. I shall arrive within a_

_few days of this letter. So you better be excited, because you_

_have little choice in my visit._

_-Jason_

I rolled my eyes at Jason's words. He never had been one to ask permission despite what society dictated as 'proper'. That had been part of the reason we had been fast friends; neither of us had been content with the roles we'd been born into and the expectations that had come with them. I was happy to have him, but it was slightly inconvenient that he would be coming so suddenly...

Raising my head, I glance around my suddenly small apartment. Compared to what Jason was used to, my house would be...uncomfortable to say the least. Besides, I only had one bed. I could go out and buy sleeping bad or even an inflatable mattress, but that would cost jewels. Jewels that I couldn't afford to waste.

I bit my lip as I struggled to come up with a solution. Maybe I could sleep on the couch...? Glancing over at it I shuddered at the idea of trying to rest easily on the slim cushions. As a short term solution that might have worked, but I had no idea how long Jason would be staying. Aries wool would have been plenty soft to sleep on, but it would disappear as soon as she returned to the celestial realm, and I couldn't call on her every night. It wouldn't be fair. Perhaps Levy or someone at the guild had a spare mattress or something I could barrow for a week or two.

Sighing, I turned to my dresser and pulled out a fresh pair of pajamas. First thing tomorrow I would have to go hunt down something for me to sleep on while Jason was here. For now, all I wanted to do was sleep and forget about the world and my growing list of problems.


	3. Chapter 3

**A/N: Hey again guys! This chapter was really hard for me to write, I can already feel the writers block coming for this story and I'm only three chapters in! :( I promise to try my best and update regularly at least once a week, but there won't be a set day or anything, in case you were wondering. Thanks again for all the reviews and follows/favorites! I can't express how happy they make me. :D Hope you guys all like Jason, and let me know if there's anyone you think he'd sound good with or that you'd like to see his with. Oh and Juvia, Grey, Levy Gajeel and Lucy &amp; Natsu (obviously) are out. I stick to my ships sorry.**

**DarkLily003: First reviewer! Thanks so much, I don't know if I would call this perfection but it means alot that you thought so :3 **

**lilpumpkingirl: I know what you mean about there being a generic story line that most people have written about regarding this plot, but I promise that I have my own little twist to it. Thanks for reading this though and I hope I don't let you down! **

**Hikari: I don't know if writers are ever not afraid of what people think haha but I'm glad that you like this story! Glad you like it and I'll try to keep my updates frequent :) **

**Alright and btw I don't like doing spoilers so you can keep guessing but I'm not going to tell you what's going to happen :) Keep up the reviews they make me want to write more and find out what you all think!**

* * *

Jason arrived three days after his letter. For the days before that I had been preparing; I'd gotten a spare bed from Mira one day, gone sopping for food another and spent the final day making sure my entire apartment was spotless.

Jason had arrived in one of his father's carriages which had been completely decked out in gold detail and followed by another carriage that had a number of suitcases which rivaled Erza's normal travel amount. Seconds after they had stopped, Jason casually stepped out of the first.

"Princess Lucy Heartfilia." His face was expressionless, and I bit back a giggle as I struggled to keep my face as impassive as his.

"Lord Jason Butler." We both managed to bow to each other before breaking into laughter.

"I still can't believe you used to call yourself that when you were younger!" Jason teased.

"I was five. I wanted to be a princess! And hey I wasn't the one who constantly had to be fawned over!" Jason shrugged.

"Perfection deserves to be acknowledged ."

"Well as soon as I see it I'll let you know." I winked and he rolled his eyes, a smile still plastered on his face.

"So this is it huh? You gave up all that wealth for this place?" I raised an eyebrow at him and he chuckled. "I love it Princess, I should have done this years ago. Would have saved my parents the shame of having a bi-curious son." He continued to gaze at my apartment building as if nothing was wrong, but I knew that deep down he was hurt. He'd always struggled to hide that part of him from his parents for fear that they would reject them. It angered me that when they had found out they had lived true to what he had always suspected and kicked him out.

"Hey, Jace," Jason turned his head slightly and looked at me curiously. "Get your lazy ass in gear. I'm not carrying all this stuff in by myself." He grinned crookedly at me and followed me over to the second carriage where we both started unloading all his stuff.

Once we had gotten everything inside, both Jason and I collapsed on my couch. "Mavis, Jace. What is all that stuff? Bricks?"

"My clothes mostly. A few have shoes..." I stared at him in shock for a moment before raising one of my pillows and smacking him on the head with it. "Ow, Lucy! What was that for?!"

"If you have that much clothes, why don't you sell it and get your own apartment!" Jason rolled his eyes.

"I can't sell them!" He caressed a nearby bag and I resisted the urge to groan. "They're all very important to me. What happened," he turned to look at me again. "To the Lucy Heartfilia who would sooner sell her soul then give up one of her precious outfits?"

"She realized that if she didn't want to be homeless, she had to give up a few things. There're things more important than clothing you know."

A look of utter horror crossed over Jason's face. "Lucy! That's blasphemy!"

I laughed, "I've had so many of my outfits completely destroyed by a mission or Natsu that..." As his name passed my lips, I found myself recalling all that Jason's visit had been distracting me from.

"That what?" A look of concern passed over his face. "Why do I get the feeling that something important happened; and I don't mean just my visit." He laughed but trailed off when I didn't join in. "Seriously Lucy. What's wrong? Who's Natsu?"

"He's my...well he was my partner." Jason's eyes widened and he smacked my arm. "OW!"

"You had a boyfriend and you didn't tell me?! Lucy I thought we were closer then that!"

"He wasn't my boyfriend!" I rubbed my arm where he hit me. "That hurt you idiot. We were part of a team together is what I meant. At first it was just him and me we were partners together and then two other people. Erza and Gray, joined us and we all sort of became a team together. It was great..." I glanced down at my hands that were clasped together tightly.

"So what happened then?" I shrugged.

"Things sort of fell apart I guess. This girl, Lisanna, had disappeared for a really long time and everyone thought she was dead, but then she came back. Well, we sort of found her, and when we did, everything just started to change. Natsu started to spend more time with her and Erza and Grey even seemed to distance themselves from me and then...Natsu just kicked me off the team. That's it, Jace." Jason studied me for a moment before shaking his head.

"Nope, there's something else that you're not telling me. I can tell, we've known each other too long for you to be able to lie to me like that." I stubbornly remained silent and Jason sighed. "Well, if you won't tell me than I'm going to just figure it out for myself." Jason looked at me for a moment later, as if waiting for me to start talking. When I didn't he leaned back and stared at the ceiling as he started to talk. "Well, let's see...obviously your hurt from getting kicked off the team, but it didn't seem as if it was that hard for you to talk about, which means that's not what's really bothering you. So what is? You seem a little...angry about Lisanna girl coming back. No that's not it. You're happy that your friends are happy, but there's something there. Maybe it's not that she's back but that your team was spending less time with you. So maybe your jealous? But you've never been the type to get possessive about your friends...maybe it wasn't a friend making you jealous. Maybe it was someone you liked. So let's see, you mention a Natsu, Gray and Erza. Obviously it can't be Erza since she's a girl and unlike me you don't play for the opposite team. Well I play for both, but that's beside the point. There's not anything you aren't telling me is there Lucy?" I glared at him and he laughed. "Well then, Erza's out so that leaves Gray and Natsu. You glossed over Gray so I doubt that its him which means Natsu is the only option left. So you were jealous because your partner was spending more time with this new girl then with you? So you like this Natsu guy? You've always had a thing for summer, so I guess that makes sense." He nudged me and I faked a laugh which only made him narrow his eyes at me. "That's not all there is though, otherwise you would have flipped out by now...but I'm close. There's just something I'm missing. I doubt I'm going to get any more from you though, maybe I need to do some research first. Where's this guild of yours then? If I go down there and start asking the right questions I'm sure someone will be able to-" He made to get up and I threw my hand out to stop him.

"Alright! God I'll tell you." Jason grinned wickedly at me, I'd forgotten how easy it was for him to read people. Which was stupid of me since it coincided with his magic. "You were right. Natsu was-is special to me. But he likes Lisanna which makes sense because she's his mate."

"Mate?"

"He's a Dragon Slayer." Jason's eyebrows rose.

"Damn, Lucy you know how to pick them don't you? The guy must be pretty strong and ripped." An image of Natsu's sculpted chest flashed into my mind and I blushed which made Jason laugh. "I'll take that as a yes!"

"Shut up! Anyway, there was an incident...and to make a long story short I'm pregnant." Jason's eyes grew wide.

"I'm sorry what?! You can't just drop that on someone!" He exploded at me, standing up.

"You're the one who was pushing and asking questions!" I yelled back, getting up after him

"Well duh! I thought you were going to tell me that you were in love or you had a love triangle going on! Something exciting! Not that you were going to be blowing up like a balloon in a few months!" My mouth dropped open and I collapsed back on the couch.

"I hadn't even thought about that...I'm going to be so fat."

"Like a weeble. You know the saying: Weebles wobble but they don't fall down." Jason laughed at his own joke.

I glared at him. "Remind me why I'm letting you stay here again?" Jason's face fell and he pouted at me.

"Aww come on Lucy, you don't mean that." I sighed and hung my head.

"You're right. About that and the other thing."

"Look on the bright side! You'll never have to worry about falling over and not getting back up!" I smacked him. "Okay, okay. Time to be serious."

I smiled briefly at him, "What am I going to do though Jace? My friend, Levy, thinks I should tell him and that Natsu's just being stupid and that I'm really his mate, but I know that's not true."

"Why not? And wait, you haven't told him yet?"

"No, he doesn't even remember that we ever even had sex. He was drunk and woke up the next day without any memories of the night before. And I know I'm not his mate because I asked another Dragon Slayer friend of mine, and he confirmed that there's no way Natsu would have forgotten if I was his mate. Which pretty much just leaves Lisanna and he just got her back. I don't want to ruin it all for him. If he found out, he'd leave her and all his chances for real happiness to help me. I can't do that to him. I won't." Jason stared at me for a moment, as if stunned.

"You really love this guy, huh?" I blushed and nodded my head slightly. "Alright then, if you don't want to tell him and you're absolutely positive he doesn't feel that way about you, then the only solution is for you to not tell him. Which means you'll need to come up with someone else who knocked you up. Do you have any male friends who'd be willing to do that for you?"

I bit my lip and went through all the guy friends I had. Immediately my mind went to Gray, but then I thought of how Juvia would react to that. I gulped, there was no way I could ask him; at least not if I wanted to stay alive. There was Gajeel, but I knew that no matter how much Levy denied it she had feelings for him and asking him would screw that up. Which left Loke. If I asked Loke he would no doubt agree, but then again he was such a player he might actually take it as an invitation for us to go out together and there was no way that was happening. Crap. I was so screwed. I opened my mouth to tell Jason there wasn't anyone when it hit me. Jason! Jason could pretend to be the father! No one at the guild knew him so it would be easy to pretend that he and I had a one night stand and I'd gotten pregnant.

"Jace," I smiled widely at him and his eyes narrowed. "My dear, wonderful friend Jason."

"Oh no. I am not pretending to be the father. I love you Lucy, but not that way and I'm not going celibate for you either." I pouted for a moment, then brightened again.

"You don't have to! We can tell everyone that we'd hooked up, woken up together and realized it was a huge mistake and that we wanted to stay friends anyway! It's perfect."

"Except the part where I look like a douche who got a girl he didn't care for pregnant!" My face dropped and tears filled my eyes.

"Natsu isn't like that Jason." He opened his mouth to retort, but stopped himself. "Please Jason, you're my last hope." A tear rolled down my cheek and dropped onto my hands.

Jason sighed, and sat down beside me again. "I didn't mean it in that way Lucy."

"I know." I truly knew he hadn't, but I still refused to meet his eyes. Even if he hadn't meant them, his words were true. Well besides the douche part. Natsu had slept with a girl that he had no real feelings for. No matter what lie I told the guild, I would always know the truth.

"Alright. I'll do it." My head snapped up and I stared at Jason in shock. "Don't get me wrong though Lucy, I'll still be hooking up with anyone at your guild that catches my eye." He winked and I laughed through my tears.

"Jason, thank you. Thank you so much! You have no idea how much this means to me. Anything you want I'll-" He covered my mouth with his hands.

"Okay princess. Slow down. One, you don't owe me anything. I'm already crashing at your house and two, don't mention it. If we want to pull this off you and I can't ever talk about it. I doubt it'll be easy to trick all your friends. " I nodded since I still couldn't speak since his hands were in the way. "Now all this drama of yours has made me hungry. Think I could fix us up something to eat while you go clean yourself up?" I nodded again and he stood up.

"Jason..." He held his hand out for me and I took it. Once I was standing he pulled me in for a quick hug.

"Lucy, you've always been there for me. It's time I return the favor. " He released me and chuckled. "Now go clean yourself up. Seriously you're a mess. It looks like you were attacked by a bird or something." My mouth dropped open as he strutted away towards my kitchen.

"BAKA!"


	4. Chapter 4

**A/N: What can I say I was in a writing mood which is good for you lot I suppose! :) It sounds like most of you like Jason which is good :) No one has given their opinion to who he should be with which is fine since I already have two people in mind, I was just curious as to what you wonderful people thought (or he could end up with himself which is good too ;p) Keep up the great reviewing! If you have questions or ideas feel free to pm me and I'll be sure to respond! Thanks again, you all have no idea how happy you make me :3**

**Oh and before I move on to the reviews I just want to clear something up first: Jason is not gay. He's bisexual which means he likes guys AND girls. Sorry, but I wanted to make that clear. A few of you didn't seem to catch on to that and there's a big difference between the two. Alrighty, thanks again!**

**rebelliousOracle: Awww don't cry! I'm trying not to make this story really sad! Cheer up, Natsu will be back soon and then the truly fun stuff will begin.**

**wereguardian: I don't know if I'd say Jason was nice, more like a sarcastic little shit. haha I'm glad to know he's leaving a good(ish) impression!**

**PS if you guys could give me some criticize too that would be great; I want to keep improving, so bring on that hate ;) Alright enough of boring old me, story time: **

* * *

"So, Lucy, we've come up with this brilliant lie to tell all your guild mates, but I have yet to even meet any of them." I glanced up from the omelet I'd made for the two of us to see Jason pointing his fork at me accusingly. "It's been practically a week since I got here and you've dragged me everywhere there is to go in this city except for Fairy Tail."

"There's just so much that I wanted to show you and honestly Fairy Tail really isn't that exciting." I took another bite of my breakfast as Jason shook his head.

"That's bullshit and you know it is, princess. You're just avoiding your problem. They're going to find out sooner or later and I bet your friends are wondering where the hell you've been. I swear the other day you dragged us around for half an hour before we went home because you saw someone you knew heading towards your apartment. I thought that Natsu guy was out on a job or whatever. It's better to get the whole story set before he even gets back."

I sighed and nodded. "You're right. I just don't know how I'm going to tell everyone. It'll be awkward...but I suppose I should just get it over with. Fine; we'll go over there today." I chewed on my food for a moment before I remembered something. "We need to make a stop first though."

Jason's eyes narrowed again, "I swear Heartfilia if you try to worm your way out of going to that guild today I will personally drag your ass there and-" I raised my hands cutting him off.

"We're going! I just need to give my friend, Levy, the heads up. I already told her it was Natsu so she needs to be in on everything first."

* * *

Jason and I were knocking on the door to Fairy Hills less than an hour later. Shortly after the door opened to reveal Wendy. "Hi Lucy!" Her eyes flickered to Jason in surprise but she remained silent.

"Hey Wendy, is Levy here? I really need to talk to her." Wendy smiled and nodded.

"Yepp, I'll go get her. Unless your friend wants to wait outside...?" Jason jammed his elbow in my side and I shook my head no.

"Thanks Wendy, but we'll wait here. Oh and I'll introduce you two later. He'll be coming to the guild so you can meet him then alright?" She nodded once before disappearing back inside the dorm.

"What did she mean while I wait outside?"

"Boys aren't allowed in the girls dorm." I shrugged.

"Well now I'm curious. Can't you sneak me in? I'm half male, at the most, doesn't that count?" I shook my head.

"If you want to deal with all the pissed off mages in there be my guest. Have fun with a girl who can turn you to stone with one glance, an elemental mage, a sharpshooter and a dragon slayer."

"On second thought, its much nicer out here." He paused, "how many Dragon Slayers does Fairy Tail have anyway?! You're crawling with them!" Jason's face contorted into a look of horror mixed with confusion and I burst out laughing.

"Lu-chan?" I looked up to see Levy staring at us from the front of the building. "Where have you been?" She rushed over and wrapped me in a hug. "I've been worried sick! After you told me," she glanced at Jason and lowered her voice slightly. "That you're pregnant. I was really concerned about you but then you disappeared! I didn't know what to think."

"Oh, I'm sorry Levy! Jason here arrived and I was getting him set at my house and then showing him the town. I just kind of forgot-" Jason coughed and I flashed him a glare. "To come let you know how I was doing. Forgive me?" She nodded and pulled me in for another hug.

"Forgiven." She let me go and turned to look at Jason, holding out her hand. "I'm Levy."

"Damn it I had a great pick up line already planned..." Levy raised her eyebrows and glanced at me.

"Quit screwing around and introduce yourself. Besides, this one's off limits. Someone's already got his eye on her." I nudged Levy with my elbow and she blushed prettily.

"Princess you take the fun out of life." Jason turned back to Levy and bowed over her hand, sweeping it into his own and kissing it lightly. "Jason Butler, at your service." He winked and her already pink face grew redder.

"And that is why I never take you anywhere." Jason stood back up and stuck his tongue out at me childishly. "This is my childhood friend Jason. He's going to be staying with me for a while and he's agreed to help me out with my little...problem which is why we came to talk to you before heading to the guild."

"I was about to head there now. Should we go together?" I nodded. Before we turned to make our way to the guild, I happened to glance up and see a flash of blue hair duck away from the window. Had someone been listening in? We were too far away for anybody to hear... Besides there was no way they would hear what Levy had whispered to me. Right?

* * *

"Lucy...I don't know. I thought you were going to tell Natsu the truth?" Levy gave me a hard look and I grinned sheepishly. We'd just finished telling her our plan and she'd already raised plenty of doubts. All of which both Jason and I had struggled to respond to. Hopefully this would be the last.

"I know, but I'm positive Lisanna and him are mates. I can't risk ruining that for him. Please promise me that you'll go along with this." Levy sighed and glanced at Jason.

"And you're willing to go along with this? No offense but you don't seem like a one girl kind of man."

Jason shrugged then flashed us a wicked smile. "I'll go along with it if it's what Lucy wants. But I never have and never will be a one woman or man kind of guy. Lucy knows that." Levy's mouth dropped open and I laughed.

"Jason likes to...experiment. And more often than not they blow up in his face. Literally." Jason frowned for a moment then tilted his head acknowledging the truth in my statement. "Anyway, I told him that he's free to date whomever he wants. He's just going to be the father. Not my boyfriend."

"What can I say. I get bored quite easily. There has yet to be anyone who can completely capture my attention. Levy, my dear, are you sure-"

"No!" I shouted at him before he could even finish. "Levy is off limits, get it through your skull. You keep it up and Gajeel will beat you to a pulp."

"He's the other Dragon Slayer right?" I nodded and Jason bulked. "On second thought even your beauty isn't worth ruining my perfection. Sorry Levy." We giggled as Jason began to stroke his face.

"Speaking of Gajeel, what did he say when you talked to him? You never told me." My laughter immediately died away and I studied my feet.

"Like I said. There's no way I'm Natsu's mate." Both Levy and Jason stopped walking, Levy's hand reaching out for my own.

"Lu-chan..." Levy trailed off unsure how to begin.

I gently untangled my fingers from hers and struggled to smile. "It's fine really Levy. It hurts now, but I'd rather just see Natsu happy."

Jason scoffed and Levy glanced sharply at him. "Princess what happened to you? Get a little selfish. You want this boy to be happy, then make him happy: with you. Or move on and find some other tail to keep yourself entertained. Screw love. Take it from me, strings only tie you down. It's much more fun to play the field. Both if you can."

"Lucy, don't listen to him. I don't know what Gajeel said but I'm sure-" I shook my head.

"No, Levy. Gajeel was right. And so is Jason," Levy gave me a hard look and I quickly amended my words. "Well, he's half right. I have to stop wallowing in self pity and move on." Jason brightened and opened his mouth to talk but I stopped him. "Which does not in any way mean that I'm going to be playing the field. Just that I'm going to go back to being friends with Natsu. Just friends. That's it." Even to me it sounded as if I was trying to convince myself so it didn't surprise me when both Levy and Jason looked skeptical.

"Well if your sure that's what you want; then yes, I'll go along with this lie of yours. I don't like it, but I'll do it for you Lucy." I smiled and grabbed Levy's hands.

"Levy I really could not ask for a better friend. Thank you!" She smiled softly and nodded towards the guild which was less than a block away.

"Are you ready to let everyone in on your little secret?" For a moment I froze. I'd spent so much time thinking about what to tell everyone that I hadn't even considered the moment itself. Was I really ready to let the whole guild know that I was pregnant? It wouldn't be long until I started showing symptoms and they figured it out for themselves. At this point I really didn't have much of a choice.

"It's now or never I guess." I smiled weakly at her and she returned it with one of her own.

"Well, ladies," Jason held out both his arms for us to take. "I suppose it's time to finally introduce my wonderful self Fairy Tail."

Glancing at me before she took Jason's arm, Levy murmured, "Let's hope they're ready..." before the three of us continued towards the guild.


	5. Chapter 5

**A/N: Okay I want to apologize in advance for this chapter. I know it sucks. Big time. I just really didn't know how to write it and I (as you) am impatient for Natsu to return and that can only happen as soon as this part get finished. I promise I will be bringing him back soon. If not the next chapter, then the one after that :) Oh and fair warning, I've been on spring break so I've been free to write as much as I want. Please don't expect to be getting this many updates on a regular basis from me. It'll probably be once a week at best, or more likely, whenever I get both the chance and the feeling to write. Anyway, thanks for the reviews and follows/favorites!**

**Lizz Cold 790: I tried to describe Jason a little bit for you in here. I tend to not like to describe certain characters too much and Jason is one of them sorry. Hope this helps though! :)**

* * *

As we opened the guild doors, everyone grew quiet. Looking around, I saw that most everybody was huddled around the bar. Upon our entrance, every eye turned to us and seemed to stare specifically at me.

"Lucy!" Suddenly the silence was broken, as Mira surged forward and grabbed onto my hands. "Why didn't you tell us?"

"Tell you what, Mira?"

"That you were pregnant!" My mouth dropped open and I stared at her in shock. How in the world did they figure it out! Seeming to catch on to my inability to speak, Levy did so for me.

"How did you...?" Mira waved her hand behind her.

"Wendy heard you talking about it at Fairy Hills. That's beside the point. Lucy how could you not tell me?! I thought we were friends!"

Breaking out of my shock, I turned a guilty face to her. "Of course we are Mira. It was just something of a shock..." She pouted for a moment, then brightened again, an evil glint in her eye.

"So, tell me then, since were such close friends. Who's the father? Is it someone in the guild? Oh Lucy is it Natsu? Or Gray? Or-"

Before she could continue, Jason interrupted her. "Me. Actually." Mira turned her warm gaze to him and seemed to freeze for a moment.

"Wh-what?"

"I knocked princess here up. Bit of an accident really. Shame. She had such a nice body too." I glared at him and Jason flashed me another one of his wicked smiles. "Sorry Princess, but it's the truth."

"Lucy?" Turning my gaze away from Jason, I saw Wendy walking up to me sheepishly. "I'm s-sorry. I didn't mean to share your secret..." I smiled and pulled her in for a hug.

"Oh, no worries Wendy. I was coming to tell everyone anyway. You just beat me to it." I smiled widely and she returned it with a small one of her own.

"Wait, who are you though?" Romeo spoke up, staring at Jason intently.

Jason swiped his eyes up and down him once before bowing his head slightly. "Jason Butler. Long time friend of Lucy. I'm sure she's gone on and on about me."

"Never heard of you." Came Gajeel's gruff voice from somewhere behind us.

Turning his head, Jason eyed Gajeel warily. "Why do I get the feeling you're the Gajeel I've been hearing so much about?" Gajeel's eyes widened but he remained silent.

"Jason is staying with me for the time being and...some things-"

"Mistakes." Jason piped in.

"Big mistakes," I amended, "happened and now I'm pregnant." For a moment the entire guild was once again silent, staring at me and Jason in shock; Levy had long since snuck away.

The silence was broken with Mira's squeal. "You're going to be a mom Lucy! Oh congratulations!" Before I even knew what was happening, Mira had me into a hug and was twirling around.

"Mira!" She paused and turned to see a worried Wendy. "The baby..." Immediately, Mira set me down and stepped away.

"Sorry, but I'm just so happy for you! And although he's no Natsu or Gray, Jason is quite handsome. Your child will be so cute!" Waving my hands frantically, I shook my head.

"Oh it's not really like that Mira. Like we said. It was a mistake. And one that we don't plan on repeating EVER again." She smiled at me and shook her head.

"Oh never say never Lucy. That boy has some very good looks. Long dark hair and those dreamy blue eyes? Not mention those luscious lips and that chiseled jaw bone." Following her gaze, I saw that Jason had been captured by the male side of Fairy Tail. He seemed to be maintaining his cool though as Elfman, Macao, Wakaba and Alzack drilled him.

There was no doubt that Jason was handsome. He always had been since the moment we had first been introduced as children. For a time, I even had a bit of a crush on him. Of course, that had ended the moment I caught him trying to sneak a peek at the maids changing. We had been friends for so long that I considered him as a brother. It wasn't until Mira actually pointed it out that I saw him as others must. And I had to admit: Jason looked good. But that didn't change the fact that he was like a brother to me and anything else would have been weird.

"I don't think so Mira, but your more than welcome to take a shot at him." I winked and the white haired mage blushed. "Fair warning though, he's a bit of a handful and has broken his fair share of hearts."

"That's not...I didn't mean...ahhhh!" Mira spluttered trying to recover herself as I giggled.

"Love rival!" Suddenly, Juvia appeared before me, a smile sprawled on her face. "Juvia is so happy! You are no longer a rival for my love!"

I sighed and smiled weakly. "I never was. Gray is ALL yours Juvia." She laughed and threw her arms around me in a hug.

"Juvia is so happy for you and Jason-sama." I awkwardly patted her back as she continued to hold on to me.

My eyes connected with Jason's and he raised an eyebrow, silently asking me if it was working. I nodded slightly and he smiled in return telling me that it was working for him too. Apparently Fairy Tail had completely bought into our fabrication. We had played our parts well.


	6. Chapter 6

**A/N: Well hello again! I got bored so I kept writing. :P YAY for you right? This hasn't been all that hard to get out really, which is good. I actually have the next chapter done already but I'm going to wait and put that out either tomorrow or Sunday haha sorry but you guys already got two chapters in one day. Three would be too much ;) I hope you guys like this one, I thought the ending would be kind of funny. Last filler chapter! Natsu returns next chapter! Get pumped for that :D Alright I clearly need some sleep. **

**Thanks again for the reviews and follows/favorites! Each one makes me smile :3**

* * *

For the days that followed my revelation, everyone in the guild bowed to my every request or need. Mira, had practically attached herself to my side and at the slightest indication that I needed anything, she would rush to get it; trampling whoever so happened to be in her way. If it was this bad now, I wondered how bad it would be once I started to show.

"Hey Lucy." I glanced up from my novel to see Levy sitting next to me.

"Hey Levy, what's up?" She nodded towards the papers beneath my hand.

"Is that your book?" I nodded and she grinned. "Is it ready for me yet?" I smiled and shook my head.

"Sorry Levy, but I really haven't had that much time to work on the new chapter. As soon as I'm happy with it I'll show it to you." She pouted for a moment then brightened up.

"So how are things going with everything? So far it seems your problems are gone for the most part."

"Almost, a few key people have been missing though, and I'm sure once they get back things will take a turn for the worse again."

Levy frowned and poked my arm. "Since when have you been so negative Lu-chan?" I opened my mouth to responde but snapped it shut. She was right. My life could be a lot worse then it currently was. I really didn't have that much to complain about, except for my growing rent problem.

"I'm sorry Levy." She raised an eyebrow and I laughed. "Really I am. I've just been thinking about another problem I'm having."

"What's that Lucy?" Mira appeared suddenly in front of me and both Levy and I jumped from surprise.

"Rent money. I can't go on missions anymore but I still need to pay my rent. Plus I'll eventually need to purchase some baby stuff." Feeling tired again, I laid my head down on the bar. "I thought about taking some of the easier jobs, but those aren't always nearby and I don't know how long I'll actually be able to work for."

"Isn't Jason working?" I laughed.

"Mira, Jason hasn't worked a day in his life. I doubt he would last more than five minutes at whatever job he did manage to find."

"Did I hear my name?" Raising my head, I watched as Jason strolled over. "Not gossiping about me are you Princess?"

I rolled my eyes, and laid my head back down. "Not really just discussing your inability to work. Can't risk breaking a nail now can we?" Both Levy and Mira covered their mouths in an effort to repress their giggles.

"I resent that comment and what makes you think I wouldn't be able to take on a job?" Jason brought his face down sideways so he was looking me in the eye. "I've never had one before so you can't say that'd I'd fail."

Blowing air into his face, I responded. "That's exactly why I know you will fail." Jason narrowed his eyes at me before stomping away.

"You just watch Princess, I'll find a job and show you that I can work." I listened for a moment longer as he left the guild before returning my attention to Mira.

"Anyway, Jason is out. Besides I really can't expect him to help pay for anything. He's a guest after all." Suddenly Levy's elbow dug into my side. "OW!"

"But he's the father of your child Lucy...he should be helping!" I flinched as I realized my mistake. "No, I know Mira. It's just that Jason and I are staying friends and all. And I don't know how long he'll actually stick around for. He wants to help, but I'd much rather he let me deal with it all on my own anyway." I hurriedly tried to amend.

"Well...I guess I can understand that." She studied me for a moment longer. "I could always ask master if you could work around here." Latching on to the idea, I eagerly nodded.

"Oh Mira that would be wonderful! Do you think he would agree to that?" She nodded and smiled.

"I've been wanting someone to help me for years and I'd love if it could be you Lucy!"

"Well I think it's a fantastic idea. Good thinking Mira." Levy chimed in. Mira flashed her another smile before returning to serving the other members of fairy tail. I watched her eagerly, impatient to start helping myself.

* * *

"Well I did it!" I looked up from my desk to see Jason striding into my apartment, his arms raised as if waiting for applause.

"Did what exactly?" Dropping his hands he glared at me.

"How can I expect you to bask in my awesomeness when you don't even remember the challenge you gave me?" I gave him a pointed look and he huffed angrily. "You take the fun out of life Princess. A job. I got a job."

My mouth dropped open and I shook my head in disbelief. "No you didn't. There's no way that YOU found work."

He placed a hand over his heart and mimed being wounded."Your words hurt me Princess. How could you doubt me?" He thrust out a slip of paper and I gingerly took it still in disbelief. "Read that and try to deny it once more." Doing as he said, my eyes danced across the page, growing wide.

It said that he had been hired at a local restaurant to help serve food and clean tables. "You're going to be a bus boy?" He frowned and ripped the page from my hands again.

"Waiter you twit." I looked at him for a moment longer before bursting out into laughter. "What?"

"You're-you are going to serve people?! YOU?" Jason frowned as tears formed in my eyes from laughing so hard.

"What's wrong with that?"

"Ten jewels says you get fired within the first hour."

"What makes you say that?" He asked defensively. I shook my head and returned to my work. There was no way I was going to warn him.

"Fine! I'll take that bet. You just watch Lucy Heartfilia! Tomorrow afternoon you will be handing me ten jewels as I come home from a successful day at work." He stomped over to the bed and angrily thrust himself into it, not bothering to even undress.

* * *

"ARGGG!" Looking up from my desk again, I watched as Jason slammed my door closed and threw his key on the table. Sneaking a glance at the clock, I bit back a laugh.

"What happened?"

Jason's head snapped in my direction and he practically growled at me. "Shut up!" He screamed as he threw a handful of jewels at me.


	7. Chapter 7

**A/N: You lot are seriously getting spoiled by me...all the stories that I follow haven't been updated in FOREVER and here I am doing like my sixth this week...geez. Hopefully you won't get mad when they slow down...I will try but school seriously suppresses my creative ability. It sucks! Let me know if there's anything you think I did wrong about Natsu here! Thanks for the favs/follows and reviews! Keep it up and I might just keep writing ;) jk I'll keep going whether you like it or not! :p**

* * *

"AHHHH!" Startled, my eyes jerked open and I stumbled up and over to the light switch.

Flipping it on, I turned towards my bed, rubbing my eyes. "Jace it's like 2 AM. What's with all the screaming?" Yawning, I slowly blinked my eyes open only to see Jason still in bed with Natsu straddling him, his fist engulfed in flames. "Natsu?" Both males turned their eyes to me; Natsu's furious and Jason's frightened.

"Who is this guy Luce? And why is he in your fucking bed?" I raised my eyes to look back at Natsu who was still on top of Jason.

Before I could answer, Jason spoke up. "Jason Butler at your service. And you good, and I do mean good, sir seem to be in need of a doctor." At that my eyes flashed down to Natsu's chest and I saw he had multiple cuts and bruises dotting across him, many of which looked serious.

"Natsu! Why didn't you go to the guild and find Wendy?!" Rushing forward, I carefully drew Natsu off of Jason and onto the edge of the bed. "Now sit here while I clean you up." Natsu's face remained dark, but he stayed silent.

Once I had located the first aid kit that I kept for times like this, I knelt down in front of Natsu and gently began caring for his wounds. Both Natsu and Jason sat quietly; Natsu watching me and Jason watching both of us.

"Where's Happy?" I asked as I finished dealing with the last cut; a long scratch that had stretched from the top of his chest down to his stomach.

"Looking for Carla." Natsu answered gruffly. I looked up at him curiously. I'd never seen him act like this unless he was facing down some deadly enemy before.

"Hey, what's wrong? Did something happen?" Natsu shook his head and I couldn't help but glance at Jason who shrugged. Looking back at Natsu, who's face seemed to have grown even darker, I tried again. "When did you guys get back?"

"I dunno. A little while ago?" Natsu shrugged and continued to glare down at the floor.

"And the first thing you do is come crash Princess's house?" Jason asked and Natsu finally raised his head to look at him. His glare seemed to intensify if that was possible, as he remained silent.

Figuring he wasn't about to answer, I sighed and spoke for him. "Natsu has a problem with boundaries, Jace. He thinks its normal to burst into a person's room in the middle of the night." I kept my voice light as I spoke, not wishing to upset Natsu further. Whatever was bothering him must have been serious.

"How'd you get in anyway? Don't you lock the door Lucy?" I opened my mouth, but Natsu answered instead.

"The window. She never locks it." Jason nodded as if he understood, but I could tell he was burning to ask more question. After all he had only heard me and the guild speak about Natsu and here he was meeting him for the first time. I didn't doubt that inside Jason was battling between jumping his bones right there and smacking him upside the head for all that he put me through.

"Alrighty then. How about I go for a late night walk and let the two of you talk for a bit? I get the feeling that I'm slightly unwanted..." He trailed off as he stood up and made his way to the door.

"Jace, that's not-" I started but he only shook his head.

"It's fine princess. Who knows maybe I'll run into someone...interesting." He winked as he strode out the door.

An awkward silence seemed to follow his departure and I stubbornly refused to break it. Natsu had been the one to break into my house and I'd already tried to get him to talk. If he wanted to, he'd do it on his own.

"You never answered me." I raised my eyes and caught Natsu staring at me.

"About what exactly?" He huffed and pointedly looked up at my ceiling.

"Why was he in your bed?" I furrowed my brows in confusion. Since when did it matter to him who was in my bed. Then again the only person I had ever really shared it before was Natsu, but still he never seemed to worry about it before.

"He's staying with me for a while. He's a good friend." I smiled hoping that Natsu would return to normal, but he remained moody. "Seriously Natsu, what's bothering you? Did the mission go alright? Is Lisanna okay?"

His head snapped back to look at me and he tilted his head curiously at me. "Why do you keep asking about the mission. It was fine. Everyone is fine."

"Then why are you being so grumpy?" I snapped and he studied me for a moment before letting out a sigh.

"It's nothing, Luce. Forget it." His face slowly spread into his normal smile, albeit a strained one. "I'm starved. Do you have any food?"

I rolled my eyes, but decided it wasn't worth getting upset over. I hadn't seen him in weeks and obviously something was bothering him. Besides it wouldn't be long until I had to break the news to him about the baby and he already didn't seem to be too keen on Jason. "Come on. I'll make you a sandwich or something. Just don't get used to it. This isn't a restaurant." Natsu laughed and followed me to the kitchen.

"Sit down while I make them. How many do you want?" He shrugged as he sat down and I sighed. No doubt I'd have to go shopping tomorrow. Natsu always managed to clean out my fridge whenever he was over.

Finishing up a pile of small sandwiches, I sat down across from Natsu and watched him as he began to eat. It had been almost three weeks since I had last seen him, but nevertheless my heart still responded to him. From the moment I had started to wrap up his wounds, my heart had speed up slightly.

Placing my chin on my hand, I studied his face. What was it that had been so enraptured? It wasn't as if he was extremely handsome or anything. I mean he was good looking, but nothing compared to Jason. And sure he had one of the best bodies at the guild, but that usually wasn't something I was interested in. When I had first met him, everything about him had been...strange. So why did I find it not only familiar but comforting now?

Maybe it wasn't his looks that had gotten me...maybe it was more his personality. Then again, I had found that just as strange at once point. Compared to the kind of guys my dad had constantly introduced to me, Natsu was by no means quick on his feet. Sometimes he could be really dumb, but at other points he could read people better than anyone else in the guild. He knew when one of his friends was upset practically before they did. Which probably coupled with his loyalty. Never before had I ever met someone who was so loyal to his friends, his nakama. Plus he didn't seem to know the meaning of giving up, he always fought with all his strength. Doing his best to protect his family. There was no one else like him in the guild or probably in the entire world. So maybe there wasn't anything specific that I had fallen in love with; more just for him being him.

"Lucy," Natsu's voice cut through my thoughts and dragged me back into the present. "You're being weird." He frowned as he took another bite.

I pouted and rolled my eyes. "Shut up and eat your sandwich. Between the two of us, clearly you're the strange one.

I yawned as Natsu finished what had to be his tenth sandwich, I'd been fighting to stay awake for almost an hour now and finally, Natsu seemed to notice.

"Are you tired Luce?" He asked and I bit back a sarcastic reply and simply nodded. "Why didn't you say so?" I shrugged, my eyes half closed.

Suddenly, strong arms had lifted me out of my seat and were carrying me across the room to my bed. "Natsu?" I murmured already being lulled to sleep.

"Go to sleep Lucy." He commanded as he turned off my light and crawled into bed beside me.


	8. Chapter 8

**A/N: Hey guys! Sorry it's been so long but like I said, my friends and I were dealing with something seriously tragic. There are some really aweful people in this world. Anyway thanks for being so great and patient with me! I'll try to keep updating weekly again now. And thanks for the great reviews and follows/favs; I never would have thought this would so popular :)**

**Some of you have seriously hilarious reactions to the whole Natsu forgetting having sex with Lucy and I honestly feel like you may be missing out on a few key details...let's see how long it takes for you to figure it out 3**

**lilpumpkingirl: Thanks for pointing that out! Usually I add too many commas, but your right I defs should be putting those in haha sorry. And I didn't even realize it was out yet until you told me and OMG those episodes GAH! THe beginning and the ending created so many Nalu feels and it just needs to be canon at this point! Everybody knows its gonna happen!**

**Russia is mine: I could always change the story ;) Haha Natsu stared down in horror at the beautiful blonde mage. How had he allowed her to get hurt? How had he hurt her? Despite his questions though, he couldn't hide the part of him that relished in the feel of her blood or euphoria he had felt when he had stabbed her and watched as the light went out of her eyes... whatcha think? ;p (**I don't really know what/who Jeff the killer is tho)****

****Cana-ann: don't worry I've thought about the whole scent change thing and looked into the morning sickness too. Glad to hear that my writing is improving as this goes along too! Thanks :)****

****Sorry this is a short update but I'm trying to get back into the swing of writing this so I'm also sorry if its not up to my usual chapters. I'll try to do better on the next update which should be coming in the next few days. Once again I know I suck for taking so long to update but thanks for supporting me with this situation. You guys are really amazing 3****

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From somewhere above my head, came the sound of a bird chirping. Groaning, I turned over and felt myself roll onto a warm and hard body. Immediately, my eyes snapped open and I jumped away from the still sleeping Natsu.

"Awake are we?" Shrieking at the sound, I whirled around to see a slightly smirking Jason studying me as he sipped his morning coffee. Wide-eyed, I glanced back to where Natsu lay, wondering if my scream had woken him, only to see that he was still. Looking back at Jason, I opened my mouth to explain, but he interrupted me. "Is this normal between you two? Sharing a bed together?" Despite myself I blushed and he nodded as if that answered his question. "And yet you maintain that he's in love with another woman."

I flinched. "It's...complicated Jace. He doesn't understand what's proper like you and me. And I've long since given up trying to explain it to him, and besides...it's kind of nice." Jason raised an eyebrow and I felt my cheeks grow even warmer. "I mean...he's warm. Like a furnace...my own personal heater."

"Or a personal torture device. Princess, it's the middle of Spring. You don't need a heater. We both know what's going on and it needs to stop." His eyes flashed to Natsu for a moment before returning to mine. "If this thing," he gestured to both of us. "Between us is going to work; he has to go. I won't watch you do this to yourself Lucy. I refuse." My eyes drifted back to Natsu. There was a dark frown on his face as he slept and I wondered briefly if he was having some sort of nightmare.

I'd said I was ready to let go of my feelings for Natsu and just be friends, but that would take time and the easiest way to do that would be to cut all ties with him for awhile. It would mean putting an end to him staying the night; to him raiding my kitchen; to the back breaking but comforting hugs; and to the trust we'd forged between us over the last few years. He was my best friend and I was madly, deeply, and completely in love with him; but Jason was right: it needed to stop. All of it. I was only hurting myself in the long run and there was a chance some one would figure out the truth. It would be hard enough if the baby had Natsu's bright pink hair, but if Natsu and I were still this close in nine months and the baby came out looking anything like him...the truth would be obvious.

Besides, I'd been adamant that Natsu and Lisanna were meant to be. Hell that was why we'd come up with this whole fake story. It wasn't right for Natsu to be staying the night, sleeping in my bed, when he was supposed to be with Lisanna. Clearly he loved her. It would be selfish of me to let this continue.

Bringing my eyes back to Jason's, I nodded my agreement. "You're right." As I spoke, a small tear escaped from my left eye and ran down my face.


	9. Chapter 9

**A/N: Hello again faithful readers! Woot the updating on a regular basis is officially kicking off again. Once more, I'm really sorry for my extended absence and I love all of you who supported me and waited patiently for me to return. So I don't know how well this chapter is going to go over-Natsu may seem a little ooc but I promise I am going somewhere with all of this craziness. I really do like this chapter though, mostly because Natsu is officially back! Thanks for following/favoriting and keep reviewing! It makes me want to write more and more! 3**

**Enecs: haha well that would be a little obvious...I think there'd be no way for Lucy to hide it then...well unless I decided to be evil and make Jason a fire mage :p haha no worries. I promise it will all work out!**

**Everyone is a Friend: So I've been meaning to look into the whole creepypasta thing, but I've had my hands full between school, friends and my other obsessions(I have wayyyyy too many and its becoming a serious problem.) But next time I have a set amount of free time I will definitely introduce myself to creepypasta. I'm leaving little hints about Jason's power, but he obviously isn't one for strength so it may take another few chapters for it to be revealed. There's a teaser in this chapter though ;)**

**Once again thanks to every single one of you who expressed concern about my friend. He's doing...better but it'll take time for him to recover. Keep him in your prayers!**

* * *

"Luuishi..." Jerking, I turned to see that Natsu was awake and both of his eyes were glued to my face. "Why are you crying?" His eyes narrowed to slits as he practically growled the question, flashing behind me to Jason and then back.

For a moment, I froze. If he was asking that, it must mean that he hadn't been awake for the rest of our conversation. Right? "I-I," as I stuttered, my mind grasped wildly for an appropriate explanation. "Jason and I were talking and he reminded me of something I have to do. And...it made me sad." My words sounded weak and unsure even to me, I just hoped that Natsu's normal obliviousness would cover for that.

He was silent, as if contemplating my answer and in that moment, everything was still. Until suddenly, Natsu had launched himself off my bed and landed directly next to Jason. Gripping him in one hand, Natsu held back the other threateningly. "You made Lucy cry?!" His voice was almost a roar and I sat still, to shell-shocked to think properly, let alone move. I'd never seen Natsu get so defensive over me. I'd cried before, and never had he reacted so violently against because of it, unless they were an enemy. But even then, there'd been something else to ignite the fire that drove him.

Jason scoffed at him. "I made her cry? Maybe if your ead wasn't stuck so far up your ass, you'd realize why she's really upset!"

I bit my lip as the two men stared each other down; one furious and the other sneering. Too fearful of what my interference might cause, I remained motionless, hoping that Jason knew what he was doing. He was doing his best to stand up for me without outright saying that Natsu was the whole reason I was upset at all, but I was worried he may have gone too far. If Natsu caught on, everything we had worked to set up would blow up in our faces.

"And what," Natsu spoke slowly. "Is that supposed to mean, bastard?" Jason sighed and looked pointedly at me.

"It means, Lucy is supposed to be your best friend and yet you don't even know why she's upset. You're too busy doting over your girl-" I shook my head sharply and he quickly rephrased. "Your friend then, Lisanna, to even notice. She shouldn't have to tell you what's going on. You should know already!" Bit by bit, Natsu relaxed his grip on Jason, as his words sunk in. Turning to face me, Natsu's face was akin to that of a wounded puppy and it tore me up to think that I had caused him to feel so much guilt.

"Luce...?" He spoke at the same time I said, "Natsu." We stared at each other for a moment longer,; each seeming at a loss for the right words.

"Lucy, if this is about what happened before the mission..." I smiled softly and shook my head before he could continue.

"It's not about you guys replacing me with Lisanna." Natsu opened his mouth to speak, but I cut him off. "To be honest, that was almost a blessing. I need time away from our Team and it's good to know it was a mutual choice. At least, of sorts..." His expression was in total shock, as if I had slapped him.

"You wanted to be off our Team? You didn't want to be my partner anymore?" His expression sent a shock wave of pain through my heart.

"No that's not it Natsu, at least not really. I loved having you as my partner, but it just won't work anymore. I can't do it." His eyes widened even further and again my heart dropped. "No, no I'm not saying this right!" I threw my hands up to cover my face. "Why is this so hard, talking to you?!" I already knew the answer to that question. Because unlike all the other members of the guild Natsu was the only I was truly terrified of telling my lie to. So often he could see right through me and always seemed to know what I was really thinking. If he saw through this lie, everything would be over and I'd ruin his life and happiness. I dreaded the reaction I would get once I told him.

"Lucy," Natsu's voice was so soft that I couldn't help but glance out from between my fingers at him. "What can't you tell me? We're partners remember?" I fought the urge to correct him on his last statement. He'd ended our partnership. He'd replaced me with another girl after stomping all over my heart. He had no right to call us partners anymore.

Suddenly, my mind filled with rage, and I snapped back at him. "Partners? Partners! We are not partners and honestly, I don't think we ever were. All I was to you was a filler. Someone to pass the time with until **she** came back! Why can't I tell you what's bothering me? Because I can't trust you! Everything we've been through together and it's gone in one day! All the happiness I found at Fairy Tail got taken from me, by the very person who brought me there in the first place! If it wasn't for all the other friends I now have there, I would have left the day you kicked me off the Team! All I have ever been to you is a hindrance! I know that now." As quickly as my anger had taken a hold of me, it vanished and in its wake, all the sadness and grief I'd been keeping at bay poured in. So many people had left me in my life, whether by their own choice or not, but I'd never expected Natsu to be one of them. His loyalty towards his friends had made me believe that he would always be there for me. It was part of what I'd fallen for. But in reality he was one of the people who'd abandoned me.

"Lucy..." As my name slipped carelessly from his mouth, tears formed in my eyes and spilled over onto my cheeks.

"Alright, that's enough you two." Jason stood and walked over to where I was sobbing. "You, Princess, are a hormonal wreck and need some more sleep. And you, Mister Sexy Dragon Slayer, need to apologize. I don't care why you did what you did or whatever excuse you want to come up with. Apologize. NOW." Grasped in Jason's arms, I could feel his magic begin to surface; making my hair stand on end.

"No." I managed to choke out through my tears. Both men turned their gazes from one another and back to me. Taking a deep breath, I shakingly spoke. "Natsu, you don't have to do that. I'm not mad, honest."

"Says the hyperventilating, half-drowned woman." Ignoring Jason, I slowly raised my eyes to Natus's.

His face was scary calm. The way he used to be when anyone brought up Lisanna or Igneel. But despite the wall he was trying to put up, I could see through it. I knew him well enough to see it: the self-loathing he was desperately trying to hide. Like with the other two, he was blaming himself for failing in protecting his nakama.

"Natsu, I'm sorry. I didn't mean it, any of it. I promise. It's just a lot of things have been happening all at once recently, and its overwhelming. Even if I'm currently not a part of the Team, Natsu, I know you and I will always be partners." Finishing, I watched him, waiting for his wall to drop; praying to Mavis I hadn't closed him off to me forever.

Thankfully, I hadn't. "Lucy, you know that I've never thought of you as weak. You're one of the strongest people in Fairy Tail!" I smiled at his utter conviction. "And you're my best friend, my nakama, my m-..." he stumbled over his words for a second and I furrowed my brow in confusion. "My Lucy. You could never be a replacement or be replaced." A smile stretched across my entire face at his words. Without even pausing to consider that only a half hour earlier I'd decided to let Natsu go, I bounded forward and wrapped my arms around his broad chest.

"Gag me. You two are sickening." Releasing Natsu, I turned to tell Jason to 'fuck off' when I felt Natsu's arms tighten around me.

Half turning, I opened my mouth to ask what he was doing, but froze as he brought his face to my neck and sniffed.

"Luce, why do you smell weird?"


	10. Chapter 10

**A/N: ****Hey...(everyone throws garbage at the terrible writer who has put off updating for so long)...ya so I deserve that. I'm soooo sorry! And to be honest I have no real excuse like last time. All I can say is that since school got out, I've been working like 11 hour shifts every week day and have had at least one Grad. Party every weekend. It's been awful and I've been so exhausted and frankly just had no cause to write ANYTHING. And I'm terribly sorry! I truly love all of you who have stuck through my terrible-ness and beg for your forgiveness. Anyway, the next chapter will hopefully be coming soon since I'm no longer working these awful hours, but I've also started another story (not Nalu this time, Jelsa actually) so my time will be divided based on which ever I feel like writing. Can't force words out or everything turn to smut. This is gonna be a short update but I'll get to the next one shortly. Promise! **

**On a side note, please don't tell me when to end my story or how to create my OC. If my writing is off that's fine but the story itself is mine and it's frankly off putting when people write that. Yes I reused another character's name for Jason, but the journalist guy isn't a main character so it's not that big of a deal and I don't see ending this story in the next few chapters in the slightest. That would be way to rushed and leave to many people disappointed. I know I hate it when authors do that. **

* * *

At his words, I tried to pull away, but his grip was like steel. My blood ran cold as he continued to sniff along my neckline, his nose tickling me as he went.

"Your scent...it's weird." He took one last breath before turning me around to face him. "You don't smell right. Like Lucy, but not really..." He frowned as he tried to make sense of what he was smelling.

Taking advantage of his confusion, I tore myself away from him and stumbled to where Jason stood, a slightly amused expression on his face. "She smells weird?" Jace leaned over and took a whiff of my hair himself. "I see what you mean! God Lucy, do we really need to cover basic hygiene again?" Both Natsu and I ignored him however and continued to stare at each other instead.

"Natsu…I can explain…I mean there's something I need to tell you…it's not easy…" I struggled to find the proper words while under his intense frown. Jason stepped closer to me and placed his arm around me; he was attempting to silently support me, saying that if I needed to he'd tell Natsu for me. And it was with that non-verbal message that my courage and strength returned-or at least the amount I needed to tell Natsu the truth. Or at least part of it, I amended mentally.

It wouldn't be right to have someone else tell Natsu that I was pregnant. After all, even if wasn't going to tell him, he **was** the father and he deserved to at least hear it from me. "Natsu, I'm pregnant."

I watched anxiously as emotion after emotion flickered across his face as he processed the information. First there was surprise, then confusion, followed by shock and horror. Finally his face settled on something that almost resembled…happiness. "Luce, your having a baby?"

Relief poured through me at his reaction, and I started to nod, when Jason interrupted the calm moment. Placing the one that wasn't around my shoulders on my stomach, he spoke cheerfully. "Actually, we're having a baby."

All the happiness seemed to drain from Natsu's face and was instead replaced with a cold anger. It was the same he'd always showed to the enemies of Fairy Tail, but for the first time in my life, it was directed towards me. Instantly, all my relief vanished and I was left feeling empty.

"He's the father?" Natsu growled and I flinched.

"Y-yes." I paused before murmuring, "who else would it be?"

Natsu recoiled as if I had slapped him. For an instant pain and hurt flashed across his eyes but was quickly replaced with fury and hatred. "I don't know Lucy, why don't you ask one of your dozens of boyfriends." My mouth dropped open at his words and regret flashed across his face. "Luce-"

Before he could say anything, I pointed at my window and commanded quietly, "get out." Our eyes remained on each other and I could see the shock evident on Natsu's face. I must have told him hundreds of thousands of times to get out of my apartment, but never before had I truly meant it. At least until now. He swallowed hard, gave me a look as if he wanted to say more but decided better of it before doing as he was told and leaving through my still open window.

As soon as he was gone, the tears I'd been holding back poured out and I collapsed into Jason. He hushed me softly, stroking my hair and doing his best to calm me, but my already broken heart had just been shattered and we both knew there was nothing he could say to fix it.


	11. Chapter 11

**A/N:**** Hello wonderful readers! Thank you so much for sticking to this story even though I suck as an arthur because my updates are so speratic! I will try to be better, but I won't make any promises since I'm starting college in a few days which is sure to help me procrastinate even more on this. The more you review telling me to update though, the guiltier I feel and the more likely I am to work on this! No worries though, I do not intend on abandoning this story so it will eventually be finished! Love to all of you!**

* * *

"Lucy," Jason murmured shaking me softly from my stupor. Blinking slowly, I turned my gaze away from the page in front of me and to him. His face looked calm, but I could tell with one look into his bright blue eyes that he was actually troubled. He was just good at hiding it. Another thing that made us similar.

"Sorry, what were you saying?" Jason sighed slightly and leaned back again.

"I was asking if you wanted to go visit the guild today?" I frowned and turned back to look at the blank pages. I'd been avoiding Fairy Tail for almost a week now, and I knew my friends were probably worried about me. Jason had been going in my place every other day, but I knew I couldn't keep letting him do that. Levy had already tried visiting twice and Jason had returned shaking after dealing with a worried Erza yesterday. It wasn't fair to him.

I could still feel his eyes on me, but he was thankfully giving me time to decide what my answer would be. Picking up my pen, I slowly brought it down to the page and attempted to put my jumbled thoughts into words. Writing had always helped me work through any problem I had whether it be with my father, a fight with a friend or just needing to express my emotion. It had only really failed me one other time and that was when my mom had passed away. I hadn't written for months after that. And here I was again with too many emotions weighing me down and no way to get them across to anyone, even on paper.

"Mira wanted me to tell you that the master has agreed to you working and you can start whenever your ready." Giving up, I dropped my pen and put my hands in my hair. Money. That's what I should be worrying about, not Natsu and the way everything had gone to hell when I'd told him. For one second I had actually believed he would accept my being pregnant without any problem, but the minute he had found out Jason was the father, he had flipped out. Which was odd to say the least. It didn't make sense and I wanted to probably think the whole thing over, but every time I tried to I start crying.

Everything was just to screwed up. I would do anything to go back in time and stop that one stupid night from ever happening. But I couldn't and now I'd lost my best friend. I could have handle him rejecting me and marrying Lisanna if it only meant that I could have him back as my best friend. I missed having him around, but I couldn't erase the memory of his harsh words. He hadn't said it, but he'd implied that I was a slut and it stung. Especially when the only guy I'd ever done anything more than kiss couldn't even remember that we'd done anything.

But hiding out here wasn't going to fix that. "I'm not ready, but I need to make money, because your hopeless at it." I heard Jason laugh from behind me and I smiled softly. He'd been trying to help me as I dealt with all of this, but ever job he got he was fired from shortly after. He refused to try any magic related jobs though, claiming he couldn't risk break a nail or ruining an outfit. The truth was that he didn't belong to a guild and wasn't willing to join one either. That would mean him fully excepting that he'd never be returning home and that was something too painful for him to admit.

"Your words wound me." I rolled my eyes. Pushing back my chair, I reached for my keys. Placing them one my hip, I turned to Jason and nodded.

"Alright, guild time."

Glancing at the pouch, Jason raised an eyebrow. "Prepped for battle Princess?"

I ignored him, but my smile widened slightly and mentally I respond, 'Always.'

* * *

Arriving at the guild, I refused to look left or right as I walked purposefully towards Mira, who was filling orders at the bar. I didn't want to know if Natsu was here or not. I doubted he would stay for long if he was anyway.

"Hey Mira."

"Lucy!" She spoke, smiling brightly at me and motioned for me to join her behind the counter. "We've all missed you!" She pulled me in for a warm hug and I was glad she had refrained from asking where I was. I didn't doubt that Jason had supplied the basics of my fight with Natsu, but I didn't want to explain it for myself. I would have to ask him what he told everyone later however.

Pulling back, I motioned to the kitchen. "I'm here to help, so let me know what you want me to do." She nodded and pulled me over to where the taps and glasses were.

"Why don't you take over out here, I'm guessing everyone is eager to talk to you and I'll take charge of all the food prep?" Swallowing the lump in my throat I nodded, and stepped over where she indicated.

Heaving a sigh, I slowly raised my eyes and surveyed the guild for the first time since I entered. Jason, who had followed me inside was dutifully seated at the counter, both to keep an eye on me and to distract me if needed. Levy was in the corner with Panther Lily, her eyes had left her book and were trained on me and when my eyes met hers she smiled and waved slightly which I returned, before quickly looking away. I'd refused to see her the two times she'd visited and I knew that I'd have to explain to her what happened sooner or later, but later looked like the more appealing option. Not far from her, was Gajeel who was, surprisingly, bent over in discussion with Gray and Juvia. The rest of the tables were filled with the usual groups and no where among the mass of people did I spot a pink head. Bringing my gaze to the opposite side of the bar, I spotted Lisanna and Elfman, who were busy talking to each other. Next to them was Erza, who was dividing her time between eating her cake and shooting me poorly veiled glances.

Deciding I couldn't put off talking to her any longer, I approached the red head, each step feeling like my last. "How's your cake?"

Her narrowed eyes, brightened slightly and she gave me a small smile. "Delicious. Thank you. You've been absent a while." It wasn't a question, but I knew she was demanding an explanation. I doubted she'd been very pleased learning everything that had been happening with me second hand.

"I know. I've just been dealing with everything. You know?" She nodded, eyes flashing to my abdomen.

"So I have heard." Again, she wasn't posing any questions, but I knew she was demanding answers. Answers I couldn't really give, at least not truthfully.

Turning my head, I glanced behind me at Jason who shrugged at me. He was now terrified of Erza (she'd threatened to sever his manhood if I didn't return to the guild within three days) and refused to approach her. "You know, Jason is a good guy. He's really been supportive." She nodded, taking another bite of her cake and eyeing me. "I've known him since we were little and honestly he's always been one of my closest friends."

"A friend with whom you are having a child." Her tone was nonchalant and contained neither judgement or understanding.

"I made a mistake Erza, but just because I'm not in love with Jason doesn't mean I don't love him." Again she nodded, her eyes trained behind me before locking onto my own.

"And what about Natsu Lucy? Where is he in all of this?" Shocked, my mouth dropped open. Maybe she was more perceptive than any of us had given her credit for.

"I-I don't understand…" I trailed off. My mind was buzzing and I could feel tumors starting in my hands.

Erza slowly set her fork down and placed her chin onto her interlocked hands, leaning forward slightly. "Natsu is your partner and your best friend, yet he is not the one beside you when you need him. Given that he is not that father I could understand you choosing to depend more on Jason, however Natsu has been absent from the guild since we have returned. I cannot help but wonder why."

My mouth ran dry. Again, she wasn't asking a single question or admitting to knowing anything, but deep down I felt that she suspected the truth and was respecting me too much to come straight out and ask. But if she knew I was lying, it would ruin everything I'd set up. "Erza…" I began, but she held up her armored hand.

"Lucy, please do not lie to me." My heart dropped. "If you are not willing to tell me the truth, than I understand, but I am sick of the lies your friend has been spouting. I believed you to be better than that. We are your nakama. What could you not possibly tell us?"


	12. Chapter 12

**A/N:**** I have very little to say before this chapter except...more angst! I love it, hopefully I'm not driving anyone too insane... :/ haha And after my last update I managed to get out a bunch more chapters soooooo updates will be once a week now, every Saturday or Sunday! Woot! This is a special update since you've all been so great and patient and I've been so crappy! Lots of love 3**

* * *

As Erza's words sunk in, I frowned slightly. She was right, in a way. I shouldn't be lying to everyone in the guild, but it wasn't like I wanted to. I was trying to protect Natsu because I wanted him to be happy with Lisanna. In theory I could tell everyone but him, but then Lisanna would be forced to lie to him and that wouldn't be fair, especially since they were mates. If I limited my lie to those two, then Mira and Elfman would be lying to their sister and that was also wrong. Realistically, lying to the guild was the best option because, aside from Levy, no one was lying to the each other. I was the only one who really had to deal with the guilt of it, but that didn't make it any better either.

Besides, if Erza wasn't falling for the lie, then I doubted she was the only one. Suddenly uneasy, I glanced around the guild, wondering who else suspected something was amiss with the story Jason and I had spun.

"It's complicated." I finally spoke and the requip mage let out a puff of air.

"Everything always seems to be complicated around you two, but the rest of us don't see it as such." That bit at least made some sense. Levy had told me weeks ago that the whole guild suspected something was between Natsu and I. That'd been at least half right, but that was one rumor that needed to be put to rest.

Forcing a laugh, I corrected her, "Nothing is complicated when it comes to Natsu. He wears his heart on his sleeve."

She nodded, one eye brow raised slightly. "That he does Lucy."

"But that doesn't mean people don't read too much into things either."

Again she nodded, a small smile playing at the corners of her mouth. "Usually, it is those closest to him that are oblivious to the truth."

"I doubt Lisanna is as clueless as you think Erza." I pointed out, and the smile disappeared.

"Lisanna?"

Now it was my turn to nod. "Isn't it obvious? He spends all his time with her and even took her out on a mission with the three of you. She seems pretty special to him." Each word stung my chest, but I knew it was the truth.

"I'll admit he's spent a lot of time with her, but so have the rest of us." Her brow furrowed as she thought over my response. "And the mission was something all of was wanted to do. Not something Natsu specifically requested. We figured you would need the jewels for your rent and had expected you to be joining us. Given the circumstances its understandable why you did not."

"Wait, you'd wanted me to come along?" It was my turn to be confused.

At my words, Erza seemed to freeze. Her eyes latched onto mine and studied me carefully as her entire face grew impassive. "Was there any doubt of that?"

"Well when Natsu told me the four of you…" I trailed off as everything seemed to click into place. Erza and Gray had been planning on it being the five of us, even Lisanna had been planning on it being the five of us. Which meant that it was Natsu who hadn't wanted me to go with them. A new wave of betrayal passed over me, and I felt my eyes begin to sting. I'd been upset about our recent fight whereas Natsu had clearly been planning to end it ages ago. Team Natsu had wanted me to go along; Natsu was the one who no longer wanted me. He'd lied when he said it wasn't about my strength or that we were still partners. Lied because I was nothing more than a hinderance and it was easier to lie than tell the truth. Less damage was left in the wake. "I'm an idiot." I murmured as the new revelation sunk in.

A loud bang disrupted my thoughts and I glanced towards the noise. The doors had been flung open harshly and I could see Natsu clearly outlined in the bright light. From behind me, I heard Jason mutter a quick "shit" before he was at my side, gripping my arm. But I was still staring at the man at the front of the guild. He was like a stranger now. Everything I'd thought I knew about his character had been a lie. I'd never expected Natsu to be so…cruel. No that wasn't the right word, no matter what happened I could never connected that word to the Dragon Slayer. Cold was better.

For a moment, the two of us stayed still staring at each other, but I quickly tore my eyes away and saw him do the same, shortly after, from the corner of my eye.

"Lucy," Jason was whispering in my ear and I tried to focus my thoughts on him instead of the numb feeling that was spreading through my veins. "Let's go, we can come back another day…" He began but I shook my head. The numbness was driving away the pain and grief and hurt. For the first time in days I felt…nothing. It wasn't a good feeling, but it was better than constantly being close to tears. If Natsu no longer cared, than neither would I.


	13. Chapter 13

**A/N:**** Woot! More updates! I'm so proud of myself! I wrote these last few chapters all together and instead of posting them all at once I'm trying to post them every few days so it looks like I'm not procrastinating and you all get updates sooner! Yay for me! I love all the reviews, but I'm so exhausted that I don't feel like going and responding to any right now. Sorry! Love you all lots and thanks for sticking with this story!**

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Pulling myself from Jason's grasp, I gave me a small smile before turning my attention back to Erza who's gaze was traveling between Natsu, who was currently and unsurprisingly seated beside Lisanna and Elfman, and me.

"What did Natsu tell you Lucy?" She inquired, but I shrugged it off with a smile.

"Doesn't matter; nothing much." She looked skeptical but didn't press me further. Instead she chose to study the two of us and I quickly walked away to begin filling the orders I'd been ignoring for the past fifteen minutes or so. Luckily Mira had taken over when she saw me speaking with Erza, but it was time for me to start doing my actual job now.

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For the rest of the night, I could feel both Erza's and Jason's eyes trained on me, but I ignored them, focusing on the task put before me. Occasionally, I would pause to chat idly with Max or Romeo or Cana, but for the most part I filled orders.

By the time Mira came over to tell me I was finished for the day, my eyes were drooping from exhaustion and I smiled at her gratefully. I hadn't even worked a full day and I was ready to fall over. How the take over mage did it day in and day out I would never know. Luckily no fights had broken out today, which was surprising, but probably had something to do with the intense conversation Gajeel, Gray, and Juvia had been in, along with Lisanna distracting Natsu. As soon as his name popped into my mind, I brushed it aside and focused on dragging myself home.

"Woah, princess, someone looks a bit tired." I stuck my tongue out at Jason who'd appeared at my side, but accepted the arm he offered me gratefully; leaning heavily on it. "Jesus Lucy, your like a fucking weight, mind walking yourself a bit?"

I pouted but did as he requested, my head spinning slightly as I stood up straight. "Get used to it Jace, just imagine what it'll be like when I'm about 30 pounds heavier." He let out a fake groan and I laughed.

"There it is!" He exclaimed and I looked around in confusion wondering what he was talking about.

"There what is?"

He rolled his eyes when mine met his, "your laugh you idiot. I haven't seen you laugh in days. It's been like living with the grim reaper."

"I've laughed," I snapped defensively.

"Not a real laugh sweetie." I opened my mouth to argue, but snapped it shut when I realized he was right.

"God I'm depressing." It was Jace's turn to laugh.

He threw his arm around my shoulder and pulled me against him slightly. "Nah, your just…nope I can't even pretend that's not true!"

"Jerk," I muttered, hitting his chest lightly and pulling out of his grasp.

"But you love me anyway," he pointed out.

"Whatever helps you sleep at night."

Jason brought his hands up to his chest dramatically, "Delusory, thy name is woman!"

"Actually," Levy appeared on the other side of me, her hair tied back and a book wrapped beneath her arm. "The quote is 'Frailty, thy name is woman'." Jason scratched his head, as I snorted.

"You never were much good with books or memorizing." Giving up, he shrugged and flashed Levy his signature grin.

"I bow to your vast and superior knowledge." True to his word, Jason bent over; forcing me to follow suit.

Levy giggled slightly and I turned to face Jason frowning. "Hey! Let go of me the next time you decide you need to flirt!"

Jason opened his mouth to retort, but his eyes landed on something behind me and all the color seemed to vanish from his face. Turning, I repressed a laugh at seeing Gajeel touring over Levy, a powerful glare fixed on Jason. To her credit, Levy ignored the powerful aura of darkness behind her and continued to giggle, which only seemed to increase the dark look on the Iron Dragon Slayers face.

Waiting until it seemed Gajeel would rip Jason's head off, I spoke, "Hello Gajeel." His eyes didn't leave Jason's for a second, but he nodded. "So, have you met Jason?"

Again the darkness spiked and I repressed a laugh as Jason's face turned green. "Aww Lu-chan the poor guy looks like he's going to faint." Despite her words, with one look at Levy I noticed she too was resisting the urge to laugh.

"Nah, Jason doesn't faint. My bets on him peeing his pants. He's done that before." Levy raised an eyebrow and I opened my mouth to explain, but was stopped when Jason slapped his hand over my mouth.

"Don't. You. Dare." He hissed.

I pouted again, but didn't dare attempt to tell the story. Jason had embarrassing stories about me to use as retaliation and I knew better than to risk those being told. "Fine," I mumbled through his fingers and he relaxed his hand. Looking back towards Levy and Gajeel, I noticed that the aura seemed to lighten now that Levy had placed her small hand on his arm in an effort to calm him. Deciding it would be a good idea to join in on the distraction before he killed Jason, I pointed to where he'd been seated earlier and where Gray and Juvia still sat, head bents close together. "What were the three of you talking about all day?"

As if a flip was switched all Gajeel's anger seemed to disappear and he instead seemed…sheepish. "Nothing." He muttered, not quite meeting my gaze.

Intrigued, I shot a look at Levy who seemed to understand my unspoken request and began to slowly move her hand up and down Gajeel's arm. The man's eyes widened slightly, but other than that he gave no indication that the movement had even effected him. Pressing slightly closer, Levy murmured a low, "Gajeel," and the man seemed to tense up further. Smiling evilly, I nodded at her and suddenly Levy's other arm had snaked it's way to his back and was no playing with the ends of his hair; twisting and tugging softly. His eye began to twitch and I repressed a giggle, for someone so tough he was so easy to manipulate.

"So, Gajeel," I tried again. "What were you all talking about?"

Clearly at his wits end, the poor guy snarled lowly at me. "NOTHING, you damn cheerleader." The intended insult came as a surprise, but I ignored it. Whatever they'd been discussing was obviously interesting if he was so adamant about not telling any of us. Which made me think it had something to do with one of us. Meeting the Dragon Slayer's glare, I narrowed my eyes. It probably had nothing to do with Jason, given that he wasn't a member of the guild and Gajeel wasn't that possessive of Levy to the point he'd discuss a possible threat with Gray and Juvia. Which meant it was either about Levy or I; I doubted it was Levy because much like discussing a threat, discussing his precious 'shrimp' with either Gray or Juvia seemed unlikely. Maybe Panther Lily, but not those two. Which left me.

Triumphant, I smirked up at Gajeel. "What were the three of you discussing about me then?" Caught off guard, his mouth dropped slightly and I knew my guess had been right.

Removing her hands, Levy stepped away and surveyed Gajeel, surprise displayed on her face. "You were discussing Lu-chan?"

Looking over to where Gray and Juvia were still hunched over together, I frowned. Before anyone could stop me, I stalked over to the two of them and slammed my hands onto the table; shocking them apart.

"Fuck, Lucy!" Gray shouted, having almost fallen out of his seat in surprise.

Ignoring his words, I looked sharply between the two of them; Gray had the decency to pretended he was clueless as to why I was so pissed, but Juvia was biting her lip. "Since Gajeel refuses to tell me, I'll ask the two of you. WHAT…WERE…YOU…THREE…DISCUSSING…ABOUT…ME?" I annunciated each word as I spoke and I saw Gray swallow nervously.

"Who said we were talking about you?" Gray attempted, but I rolled my eyes.

"I did because I'm not an idiot and it wasn't difficult to figure out." He grimaced at my sharp tone and fixed his gaze on a nearby pillar. Giving up on him, I turned my attention to Juvia.

"Juvia, what were you three talking about?" I softened my tone and she bit into her lip further glancing from me to Gray.

"If Gray-sama says nothing than Juvia will stay silent." Repressing an exasperated sigh, I racked my brains for an idea.

"What if…" I began, a grin stretching across my face. "We traded information?" Juvia frowned and opened her mouth, but I cut her off. "You tell me what you were saying about me and I'll tell you…anything you want to know about Gray."

"No!" Gray shouted, but it was too late. Juvia's eyes were wide in delight and she was already nodding her head rapidly. "Lucy dammit!"

"Juvia will tell Lucy-san. Gray-sama and Gajeel-kun were talking about Lucy-san's relationship with…" Before she could continue Gray slapped his hand over her mouth.

"Shut up!" He hissed, his voice annoyed but still soft given that he was talking to Juvia.

But it was too late. "My relationship with who?" Before I could get an answer I felt my feet leave the ground and I was suddenly being thrown over someone's shoulder. Screaming, I quickly realized it was Gajeel and I began to pound on his back in an effort to break free. Of course it was fruitless and I quickly found myself being carried out of the guild; the shocked faces of Jason and Levy being the last thing I saw before the doors closed behind us.


	14. Chapter 14

**A/N: This is a short update, but the next one will be up within a day or two so no worries! I think people really don't realize how far Gajeel's and Lucy's relationship has come. He started off kidnapping her and wanting/trying to kill her and now Lucy trusts him 100%. Which is clear in how much she doesn't mind the obviously (especially after that Air chapter! SQUEAL!) budding relationship between her best friend Levy and him.**

**shithappensdealwithit: here is your update! AHHH :p haha just kidding thanks for the reminder I almost forgot, it's been a busy weekend. :)**

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Gajeel refused to stop until we were blocks from the guild. After he had finally set me down, I turned on him enraged. "What the hell was that?!" He rolled his eyes. "I was about to get Juvia to tell me why you'd been talking about me! Which I have every right to know! And you suddenly decide to drag me out of the guild like a doll! What makes you think you have the right to do that?!" He shrugged and my rage exploded. "You fucking bastard!" Leaping forward I pounded my fists against his chest screaming insult after insult. It wasn't until my arms and hands ached that I stopped and stood motionless against him, my chest heaving.

After a short while, Gajeel spoke, "are you finished?" Slightly embarrassed at my outburst, I stepped back slightly and watched as he crossed his arms over his chest. Glancing around, I was thankful that he picked a secluded spot to drag me to. It would have been mortifying for anyone to witness my behavior. Sheepishly meeting Gajeel's gaze, I nodded. "Good. Now sit and let me explain."

Following the command, I dropped to my knees in the grass and he joined me a second later. "You're actually going to tell me?"

He nodded, his eyes trained on the sky above us. "If I don't you'll keep blackmailing Juvia and make the whole situation even worse than it already is."

Frowning, I snapped back, "how would me finding out make anything worse? Besides what's so bad that you three need to discuss it?"

With a deep sigh, Gajeel turned his red eyes to mine. "Erza's not the only one who knows your lying Bunny-girl." Immediately my stomach dropped and for a second I was worried I was going to throw up.

"Wh-who all knows?"

"Erza, Gray, Juvia, Wendy, Lisanna suspects something, and I'm guessing Shrimp and that Jason boy know." I didn't miss the growl that had come out at Jason's name, but I ignored it.

"H-how?" I gasped out, my heart pounding. So many people knew I was lying! And worst of all one of the two people I'd never wanted to know suspected the truth. Oh Mavis everything was going to hell.

"Well you obviously told Shrimp and Jason; Erza's been noticing that something's been up; Lisanna's just less gullible than her sister and brother; Gray and Juvia worked it out together; and Wendy and I figured it out fairly easily. Actually we've known about everything for a while now, it's not exactly something a dragon slayer would miss." I grimaced at his words. Apparently Natsu wasn't the only one who could sense a chance in my scent.

"Everything?" I prompted and he nodded, his face impassive. "For how long?"

"I've been noticing a difference in you and Salamander for weeks now, but it only hit me when you asked me that question about mates." My stomach dropped again. "It wasn't a hard leap to figure out who the real father was."

"Oh, Mavis." I murmured. "I'm going to be sick." I wasn't kidding either, scrambling away from where we were sitting, I managed to reach some bushes before I began heaving the entire contents of my stomach. From behind me, I heard Gajeel stand up and suddenly he was pulling my hair away from my face. It was one of the kindest things the Iron Dragon Slayer had ever done for me and I almost sobbed at the gesture.

Finished, and with my throat burning, I shakingly straightened and turned back to Gajeel and smiled weakly at him. "Thanks." My voice was scratchy and I was glad he had the decency to conceal his emotions. All of which were no doubt disgust at the moment.

"Come on Bunny-girl. Let's get you back to your apartment. No doubt you'll need to brush your teeth and drink some water." Again I shot him a small smile as he bent down and allowed me to climb onto his back before he began to make his way to my home.


	15. Chapter 15

Gajeel waited patiently as I rinsed out my mouth and throat with toothpaste and mouthwash. Filling a glass of water, I finally joined him in my small sitting room area. He looked startling out of place in the feminine decor, but oddly it didn't seem to be bothering him. His eyes were trained on my bed and if I didn't no better I'd probably be wary of what was on his mind.

"What are you staring at?" At my voice, his gaze traveled to mine.

"Your bed reeks of Salamander." Blushing, I averted my eyes and distracted myself by taking a gulp of water. "And Jason," he continued barely missing a beat. That one I had an easy explanation for and I readily gave it.

"He's staying with me and I've been letting him use my bed while I've been sleeping on the mattress I borrowed from Mira." He chuckled darkly.

"Knew there was a reason I didn't like the guy?" At my confused gaze he explained. "What kind of man let's a girl, let alone a pregnant girl, sleep on anything other than her own bed when he's crashing at her house?"

I shrugged. "I insisted and I'm not really showing yet. When my belly starts to expand I'm sure I'll be demanding my bed back." He nodded and silence descended between us. Taking another drink of water, I steeled my nerves and restarted our earlier conversation. "So you know that Jason isn't actually the father and that…that…"

"Natsu is." I flinched at the name. My grief had vanished after the newest revelation, but I still didn't feel ready to discuss him. Which probably meant I didn't care as little as I thought.

"And only you've…you know…figured that out?" He nodded, but didn't elaborate. "And you haven't told anyone?'

"No." His voice was firm and I shagged in relief.

"Thanks."

Again silence stretched between us, but this time it was Gajeel who broke it, "why haven't you told him? Why are you lying to everyone?"

I resisted the urge to laugh. "I figured that part would be pretty obvious if you've figured everything else out."

He shook his head. "All I know is you and Salamander can barely look at each other for more than a few seconds. That's what Gray and Juvia were talking about and they'd dragged me into it hoping I'd have some ideas. I can't figure it out though. What'd he do to piss you off so much?" He was frowning and a surge of anded burst through me.

This time I did laugh. "I'm not the one with the problem. HE is. **He's** the one who kicked me off the team and no longer wants me as a partner. **He's** the one used me as a replacement for the girl he really loves! **HE'S** the one who's lied to me about everything! **HE'S** the one who thinks I'm a SLUT! AND HE'S THE ONE WHO FORGOT WE EVEN EVER SLEPT TOGETHER!" My voice had risen throughout my entire rant until I was screaming, but I didn't care. The anger felt good. Better than the numbness had. And far better than the sadness and heartbreak.

"What do you mean Salamander forgot?" After my screaming, Gajeel's voice was deadly quiet and barely more than a whisper, but seemed far more deadly.

"Don't you remember? He forgot everything that night he'd gotten into a drinking challenge with Cana. He didn't remember anything that had happened that night." Gajeel's frown deepened.

"That was the night…but that doesn't make any sense." Not following what he was thinking out loud, I waited for him to explain, but he didn't. Instead he stood up. "That idiot." He growled before stalking over to my door and exiting through it. Shocked at his sudden departure, I began to chase after him, but was halted at the front of my building where Erza stood, blocking my path.

"We need to talk,' she began, but I cut her off. Searching the streets for Gajeel's tall back.

"I'd love to, but there's something I need to do first." I attempted to pass her, but her hand flashed out and grabbed onto my arm.

"No. WE WILL TALK NOW." Flinching at her harsh tone, I nodded and allowed myself to be led back into my apartment.


	16. Chapter 16

** A/N:**** Oh I am an evil, evil person. :) Have fun !**

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After forcing me to return to the seat I'd just vacated, Erza stood towering over me, her face dark. "What did Natsu tell you before we left?" Much like Gajeel, her voice was low but deadly; something she rarely used on me.

"I told you already, it was nothing important…" I attempted, but she slammed her hands down on either side of me and I jumped in fright.

"Lucy, do not lie to me! The two of you can barely look at each other anymore! You were best friends and now your like strangers. So tell me the truth!"

Giving up at avoiding the topic, I spilled everything I could remember as quickly as my mouth would allow me. "He came and told me that you all wanted to go on a mission with a Lisanna." I paused wondering if that would be enough. It wasn't. Her eyes narrowed and her hand reached for her sword; barely pausing for breath I throw out the last bit, "andthatyouwantedittobejustthefourofyou!"

Moving backward, Erza studied me for few moments as I caught my breath. When I was finished, she opened her mouth to speak. "Why would Natsu tell you that?"

I resisted the urge to roll my eyes, the girl was clearly unstable at the moment, and instead responded. "Maybe because he doesn't want anything to do with me anymore?"

Erza looked completely caught off guard at my answer that it was almost comical. "Why would you say that?"

"Because he's doing everything in his power to make that clear!" I shouted, anger still playing at the edge of my mind from earlier.

She frowned at my tone, but otherwise ignored it; keeping hers low, "how so?"

I gave a bitter laugh. "Besides kicking me off the team? How about basically ignoring me for weeks before that? Or telling me I was a slut? He obviously wants nothing to do with me Erza and frankly, at this point, I couldn't agree more." Her gaze hardened at my words, but this time I knew her anger wasn't towards me, it was meant for certain ex-partner of mine. "Anyway, it doesn't matter. I've decided I don't care anymore."

Immediately, her gaze softened. "Oh Lucy," she murmured before sitting beside me and pulling me into a hug. At the gesture, hot angry tears began to roll down my cheeks and onto her armor. "You don't mean that." She spoke confidently and I shook my head desperately against her, unable to speak through my sobs. Ignoring my silent protest, Erza continued. "And you know that Natsu would never want nothing to do with you. Your the most important person to him. He's just an idiot and has screwed everything up."

"No!" I blubbered, but she ignored me again.

"I don't know what's going through that idiot's head, but we'll figure it out and set him straight. I'm sure he never wanted to hurt you Lucy, never even dreamed of it. And I bet this distance between you two is tearing him up inside. He loves you so much and he's probably so confused right now and saying and doing everything wrong…"

"No!" I screeched, pulling away and forcing her brown eyes to meet mine. "He does not love me! Everyone needs to stop saying that because it is completely and 100% false. He loves Lisanna and not me!" Despite my tears, I tried to keep my voice as convincing as possible, but instead Erza gave me a pitying look.

"Oh Lucy…you're just confused."

Yanking myself away from her I met her soft gaze with a glare of my own. "No! You're confused. I'm not! Natsu DOES NOT love me! I know what love is and his feelings for me aren't love. I've seen love! Gajeel loves Levy; Evergreen loves Elfman; Juvia loves Gray; and Jellal loves you!" She blushed at my inclusion of her, but I ignored it. "That's how I know that Natsu loves Lisanna and NOT ME!"

"But you love him don't you?"

I bit back a crazed laugh. "You think I could love that idiot?!"

She raised an eyebrow, "So you don't?"

"He's hurt me more than anyone ever has; so no Erza I DO NOT LOVE NATSU!"

A look of horror passed over her face, her gaze flashing behind me. Turning slowly, dread pooling in my stomach, I saw that Natsu was once again framed in a doorway a look off complete and utter anguish displayed on his face. "Luce, you don't love me?"


	17. Chapter 17

**A/N:**** Try not to hate me too much!**

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I opened and closed my mouth like a goldfish as I stared at Natsu in disbelief. My earlier anger was gone and the numbness had returned. But this wasn't a good kind of numb. It was terrible, as if my body was going into shock but didn't know how to handle it so I couldn't feel anything.

Natsu was staring at me, looking as if his entire world had shattered. Unlike me though, he seemed able to form a sentence and repeated his earlier one, "You don't love me?"

I felt Erza's gaze drilling a hole into my back, but I still couldn't find the words I needed. It was like the moment I really needed them, they'd all flown away and were taunting me; just out of my reach.

Unable to look at me any longer, Natsu turned to leave, but found his way blocked by Gajeel. "No way Salamander. You're going to talk to Bunny-girl even if I have to put a piece of iron through your feet to stop you from running."

"You heard her!" He shouted, gesturing behind himself and at me. "It doesn't matter anymore! Don't you get it!" I could practically see the steam bellowing from his ears, but underneath his anger I could also hear the grief laced in his words.

"YA!" Gajeel bellowed back. "I did hear her! She said you'd hurt her you moron! She thinks that Lisanna is your MATE you stupid bastard! She's almost as big of an idiot as you are, but she's not the one who fucked everything up! You are! SO FIX IT YOU POOR EXCUSE FOR A DRAGON SLAYER!"

"SHE DOESN"T LOVE ME!" Natsu shouted back. "She loves that bastard JASON!" He spat out Jason's name as if the very thought of him was poison.

At the name, a few words returned to me, and I whispered a response to his words. "I don't love Jason." Natsu's entire body seemed to freeze, at my words and Gajeel flashed me a grateful, but very small, smile.

"Fucking morons." He muttered before jerking his head at the door. For a second I was confused until I realized that it had been meant for Erza and not for me as she followed him out, shooting me a few confused look that clearly read 'we'll talk later'. Fantastic.

"You don't love him?" Natsu was still facing the now closed door and I resisted the urge to ignore him. For heavens sake, the boy couldn't even look at me properly!

"No. I don't he's my best friend."

He flinched at my words. "And I'm not?"

I laughed and his head snapped around. "You're joking right?" His face dropped and I wondered if I'd been wrong to think he didn't care. Softening my tone slightly, I explained. "Natsu, you've been ignoring me for weeks! You kicked me off your team and lied to me while doing so! You told me Gray and Erza also wanted me to stay home! When actually it was just you!" He grimaced at my words and opened his mouth to speak, but I ignored him and continued my rant. "And when you returned, you acted as if nothing had even happened! And even worse when I told you about my being pregnant, you flipped out and called me a whore! That's not exactly best friend behavior."

During my rant, his eyes had been locked on mine, but now they dropped to the floor. "Luce, let me explain…I can't find the right words…and it's all so stupid…" Before I could prompt him to just speak, he dropped to his knees and cradled his head in his heads. "And Gajeel's right, I really have fucked everything up."

Sighing, I rolled my head back and stared at my ceiling. I had two choices at this point: make a break for the exit, leaving Natsu to wallow in his own self-pity, or stay and figure this all out. The former was the more appealing option, but I doubted Gajeel and Erza had gone very far. Which left the latter. Cursing my life, I took a cautious step forward, followed by another and another, until I was standing barely a foot from Natsu.

Sinking down in front of him, I reached out and carefully withdrew his palms from his face, forcing him to look at me. "Just tell me Natsu. I honestly doubt it could make things any worse."

For a moment I thought he was going to laugh at me, but instead he gripped both my hands in his and squeezed as if his life depended on it. "Promise?"

"What? Promise things won't get worse?" He nodded and I bit my lip. I hadn't been expecting that when I'd spoken about things not getting worse. Was that really a promise I could make? And if he was asking me to make that promise, did that mean he thought things could and would be getting a lot worse? But if I didn't would he ever tell me?

Taking a deep breath and forcing my fears away, I nodded. "Promise."


	18. Chapter 18

**A/N:**** Sorry this update has taken so long! I suck, I know. College and stress and illness just all caught up with me at once and unfortunately I lost a lot of momentum on this story. It's sort of back now, but don't get too impatient if my updates aren't consistent. I think this story is close to the end though! Woot! Again sorry for the wait, and I know this isn't my best work, but you all wanted an update sooooo I updated the best I could do 3**

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Natsu's body relaxed and again I wondered if my promise would be one I'd really be able to keep. Hopefully it would be. For Natsu promises were things that should never be broken. "Good." He squeezed my hands in his and I quickly pulled away. I could handle comforting him, but him comforting me…not so much. That was more trust than I was willing to give him after everything he'd put me through recently.

"Now you have to tell me." The stiffness returned to his shoulders, but he nodded, his hand reaching up to tug at his scarf, as if to gain some confidence.

"You said I hurt you Luce?" I nodded, not caring to elaborate on the point at the moment. I was more interested in what he had to say anyway. Nothing was making sense anymore and Natsu seemed to be the only one who could sort it all out for me. "I didn't mean to hurt you, I was trying to keep you safe." He grimaced. "I guess I failed at that if you got hurt anyway."

He was beating around the bush and we both knew it, so I prompted him, "Natsu, why did you lie to me?" He looked confused, so I clarified impatiently, "about the mission."

"Oh that, well it was something we had all wanted to do with Lisanna…and we had planned on forming a sort of team, before you came along, and it seemed better to have you stay behind. It was going to be dangerous and I didn't want you there…" He trailed off scratching his hair and avoiding eye contact.

So I'd been right to think he thought I was a hinderance. More often than not he'd have to save me whenever we went on missions, but I'd been getting stronger. At least I thought I had been. "But you didn't tell any of the other three that?"

He shook his head. "They wouldn't have understood, they would have argued with me and you'd have ended up getting dragged along." At least they thought I was capable enough to look after myself.

"But than why not just tell me, I wasn't strong enough for you anymore? Why'd you lie to me about it?" Natsu frowned.

"Luce, what are you talking about?"

I let out an exasperated sigh. "Natsu, you didn't want me to come along because I'm too weak to take care of myself. I get that you think that. What I don't get is you lying to me by telling me that that wasn't the reason. Plus you lied to Erza and Gray about why I wasn't come along. Explain to me why you felt you had to lie to everyone."

"You're not weak…" He began, but I cut him off.

"You," I growled, pointing angrily at him for his continued denial. "Just said that you didn't want me to come along with you because the mission was too dangerous for me to handle."

Natsu shook his head, understanding dawning on his features. "No! That's not what I meant…I was trying to say…well…jeez, Lucy, I was worried you'd get hurt. That I'd fail to protect you because I'd be so worried about Lisanna being back on her first mission that I'd end up putting you in danger or something. I know your strong and can take care of yourself, I just don't want you to. It's my job to keep you safe."

Suddenly my throat felt incredibly dry. "So you weren't kicking me off Team Natsu?"

"Why'd I do that, weirdo? We're partners and, outside of Happy, you're my best friend…" He smiled widely at me, his eyes wide and honest.

I stared at him, as my mind processed the information. I'd over reacted to every single thing that had happened. There was no reason for me to have assumed so much negative intent behind all of Natsu's actions, but I had. The reason was pretty obvious, but only served to make me feel even dumber. I'd been reading too much behind everything Natsu was saying and doing because I was so hurt over him not choosing me as his mate. As if he even had a choice in the matter. I was selfish. So, so selfish. "Oh Mavis…I'm a moron."

Natsu chuckled and pulled me toward him for a hug. "Did you really think I could ever live without you in my life Lucy?" Hot tears began to roll down my cheeks at his kind but thoughtless words. This was why I was even in this mess to begin with. He'd say things like that, that were so easy to misinterpret and made it so easy to fall in love with this idiot.

"You can't say that, Natsu…" I reprimanded.

"Why not? It's true. You're my most important person." My chest constricted at his words and I forced myself to pull away from him.

Shaking my head, I attempted to explain. "Natsu, you should be saying that to your mate not me." Wiping at my eyes, I waited for him to respond. Oddly enough, he didn't. Raising my eyes to his, I was startled to see him staring at me intently, an odd emotion dancing in his eyes.

"Gajeel was right…" He muttered, still staring at me.

I opened my mouth to question him further, but found my lips trapped beneath his warm one's.


	19. Chapter 19

**A/N:**** Ya early(****ish) update for you all! And just so everyone knows (and I hate to be this person, but it's really getting on my nerves) just saying "update" in a review is not going to make me update any faster. In fact it annoys me because I'm not getting any really reviews on this story and my writing (aside from a few reviews here and there-thanks a ton to those people by the way). So please don't just review saying update unless it's been like two weeks since my last update. Alright rant over thanks! Enjoy.**

**P.S I've started a new story called Tears Run Gold, check it out if you like this one :)**

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Startled, I pulled back, pushing him away as I did so. "What the hell do you think your doing?!" I screamed at him, fresh tears rolling down my face. "You can't just go kissing people! How would you feel if Lisanna was kissing another guy?"

"I wouldn't care." He answered simply, staring at me with a small smirk.

"You wouldn't care if your mate was kissing other guys?" His smirk disappeared, but his gaze was just as intense.

"That's not what I said. I said I wouldn't care if Lisanna was kissing other guys." My mind seemed to be moving in slow motion as I tried to make sense of his words. If he didn't care what Lisanna did with someone else, but he did care what his mate did…was Lisanna not his mate?

"Natsu," I spoke slowly. "who's your mate?" He flinched at the question, his cheeks turning red.

"My best friend." He answered, not quite meeting my eyes.

Again, it took awhile for his words to fully process in my mind. His best friend was his mate, but his mate wasn't Lisanna which meant that she wasn't his best friend. He'd told me a few minutes ago that I was is best friend, but that wasn't possible. Gajeel had clearly told me that Dragon Slayers wouldn't be able to forget sex with their mate, and Natsu had forgotten having sex with me. Happy was the only option left than. "Happy's your mate?"

Natsu's blush disappeared and was replaced with a green tinge. "Ew, Luce, that's just wrong." He paused, clearly expecting me to react. When I didn't he frowned. "Lucy…do you really not know?"

I shook my head, my chest was hurting and my brain was throbbing. "No! Because if it's not Lisanna than I have no idea! It can't be me, so that pretty much leaves Happy. Unless there's someone else I've never meet before!"

"Why can't it be you?" I froze at his question; trying in vain to squash the hope blooming in my heart.

"Because…because we had sex! And you forgot! You were drunk and you can't remember and Gajeel said it wasn't something a Dragon Slayer would be able to forget which means I can't be your mate!"

"Lucy, you're my best friend."

"No!" I screamed standing up and pacing the room. "You said your best friend is your mate! But I already know I'm not your mate! I just explained that! We had sex and you didn't remember it the next day. Gajeel said that if you mated with your mate than you'd remember it no matter what!" Rounding on Natsu I saw that he was no longer looking at me. Instead he was studying my floor.

"I didn't forget." He whispered so low that I almost didn't hear him, but the effect was as if he had screamed them at me. I stumbled backwards, landing hard on my bed. Ignoring the small pain, I stared at Natsu, too shocked to do much else. This whole time I'd been acting under the impression I was nothing to him, but suddenly in the space of a second I was everything. His best friend and his mate. And he'd lied to me. Made me think I was rejected and alone and unwanted. The entire room began to spin, matching the confusion in my head. Ignoring the rolling floors, I attempted to stand back up, only to find my face pressed into my carpet; a loud ringing began to fill my ears before everything went dark.

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I was swimming in darkness. Endless darkness, with no idea what was up and what was down.

"When will she wake up?" As if caught in a current, I felt my mind begin to rise to the surface. Desperate, I clung to the darkness. Reality was too painful to face. If I woke up now I'd have to face all the pain it brought. I wasn't ready to. All I wanted to do was sleep and forget. Forget my problems. Forget that I was pregnant. Forget that I'd be lied to for the past month. And most importantly forget Natsu.

Despite my desperate attempts to remain asleep, I found my body stirring and the voices in the room quieted. All attention was now on me. There was no way I could fool them into believing I was still asleep.

Blinking, I opened my eyes to find myself, once again, in the guild infirmary. "What happened?" I asked, bringing my eyes around to face the room. Which was a mistake because immediately my gaze landed on the one person I didn't want to see at the moment. Natsu.

As if stung, I ripped my gaze from his and turned instead to Jason, who was leaning close to the door. At my words, he pushed away from the wall and instead plopped down on the bed beside me. "You fainted."

"Any particular reason?" My hands drifted towards my stomach, and Jason frowned.

"Stress, at least that's what Wendy said. I'm not sure how much to trust a little girl when it comes to doctoring though." As he spoke, Jason's eyes flickered to where Natsu sat, inches from me. Part of me wanted to follow his gaze, but I knew better. The cause of my stress was obvious. But that didn't mean I had to address it right this second.

Unaware of my unwillingness however, Natsu spoke, "Wendy's a Dragon Slayer. Part of her magic is healing."

"And I would know that how exactly?" Jason snapped in return.

"Maybe if you paid more attention to the guild then your next fuck buddy…" My mouth dropped open at Natsu's words. He'd never talked to anyone like that before.

"Rich coming from you Dragon Boy." Before I had even sensed Jason move, Natsu was suddenly across the room, pinned to the wall with Jason's face inches from his. "You're nothing more than an over muscled dick. You're lucky I even allowed you near her after everything you put her through."

"Jason!" I cried; moving to get up, but before I could do anything Natsu had retaliated. Within seconds, Jason was on the ground, Natsu standing over him; fists flaming. "Natsu, stop!"

Natsu's face shot up at my words, his eyes connecting with mine as his flames vanished. Jason, wasn't as easily tamed however. One moment Natsu's eyes were burning into mine, and the next he was on the ground, clutching his head screaming in agony.

"Jason! Jason stop it!" I screamed, scrambling out of bed and racing to Natsu's side. "Jason, please!" I begged, turning to look at my friend.

"He deserves to be punished for how he's treated you!" Jason shouted back, his eyes focused entirely on Natsu's writhing form.

"No! Not like this." Reaching out, I grabbed Jason's hand and forced his attention away from Natsu and onto me. For a second, I could feel the power and pain Natsu was, as Jason's attention was drawn to me, but before the brunt of the attack could be transferred Jason stopped.

We stared at each other, communicating silently, before Jason nodded and stormed from the room; leaving me alone with Natsu once more.


	20. Chapter 20

**A/N:**** I don't have all that much to say...Thanks for respecting what I said last time guys I really appreciate it :) Also check out my other story Tears Run Gold, it's another Nalu with mixes of Sting and Yukino thrown in as well. Alright on to the story. Enjoy!**

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Chest heaving, I turned from the door Jason had just stormed from to watch Natsu. He was still laying on the ground, curled into a ball, but he was no longer clutching his head in agony. Part of me wanted to go kneel at his side, hold him to me until every pain he ever felt disappeared, but the other part of me was recoiling from the very idea, reminding me that I didn't even want to be in the same room as him at the moment, let alone touch him.

The silence between us was unbearable however and I finally broke it. "Natsu, are you alright?"

He shook his head, but sat up nevertheless. "No," he choked out, his voice thick with emotion. "I'm not." It was at that moment that he turned is eyes to mine, and I could feel my heart break at the rawness there. He looked so broken—a complete reflection to how I felt—and seeing him that way clawed at my soul more than anything he'd ever put me through. "Luce, I messed up and I'm so so so sorry. I don't deserve you."

His words were like a knife to my heart, but I couldn't stop myself from agreeing. He'd put me through so much shit in the last few weeks. I'd cried myself to sleep more times than I cared to count. And I still had no idea why he'd done any of it. He'd explained the part about not taking me on the last mission, but that didn't explain why he'd pretended to have forgotten about us having sex. "Finish explaining everything, and then I'll decide what you deserve."

Natsu closed his eyes and nodded. "Alright, but" a teasing smile graced his face briefly, "you have to sit down first. No more fainting." I laughed warily, but complied with his request, sitting a few feet away from him. He jerked, as if wanting to move closer or reach out only to second guess the option, something I was grateful of.

"Done. Now tell me why you lied."

I didn't seem to need to clarify as he began exactly how I wanted. "Because I was drunk, and I was afraid when I was sober. I know you won't admit this, but I took advantage of you that night Lucy. I basically forced myself on you-"

"No you didn't. If I hadn't wanted it, I would have stopped you." He shook his head.

"That's not what I mean. I didn't ask you Lucy before…before I made you mine."

Confused, I furrowed my brow. "Natsu, I just explained that I'd wanted it too…"

"Not in that sense…in the Dragon Slayer sense. In the mating sense, or more specifically making you my mate. Gajeel might have told you we wouldn't forget something like having sex with our mate, but he didn't elaborate enough. Sex is different for Dragon Slayers, we don't have it with anyone. When we have sex, we are fully aware of what we are doing because in having sex we claim someone as our mate. That's what I did to you Lucy, I claimed you and I didn't ask you before I did it. I gave into my instincts and did something completely against your will. Waking up next to you the next day, was the happiest day of my life for about five seconds before the reality of what I did sunk in. I-I couldn't stand to face you after that; knowing what I'd done without your permission, so I panicked. I left you there alone, and immediately went to the guild to spin the story about not being able to recall a single thing from the night before. It was stupid and immature and I've regretted it for so long, I'd planned on telling you the truth when I returned from the mission, but then you told me you were pregnant with," he paused, anger and jealousy flashing over his face. "With _**his**_ baby, and I knew I couldn't take that from you too. I may have marked you, but that doesn't mean you can't be happy with someone else and as much as it hurt and pissed me off, I resigned myself to accepting that you were in love with someone else. That I'd fucked up every chance for the two of us to be together as anything more than friends, but then Gajeel dragged me into your apartment and forced us to talk and I learned you didn't love Jason and that I still had a chance and everything I'd resolved blew to ashes." Suddenly, his face changed and he was looking at me with such love and openness, that again it felt as if my heart was breaking. I couldn't stand the look he was giving me; something so loving and expectant and hopeful. "Lucy I do love you. I know I've basically destroyed any chance for forgiveness, but I need you to know that no matter what happens, you're it for me. You're all I've ever wanted or needed and I love you more than seems remotely possible. So even though I don't deserve it in the slightest, I'm asking…no begging for you to forgive me." His voice broke at the final word of his speech and with it went the last shred of my heart.

He spoke as if he had violated me in some way, but that wasn't how I felt. No matter what he said, I'd wanted to have sex with him, to make love to him. But he'd destroyed that act the moment he pretended it didn't happen. He'd turned it into something shameful and he still didn't understand what he'd done. The fact that he loved me filled me with so much joy and so much pain that I felt I would burst. Love wasn't supposed to be this painful, was it? I didn't know because I'd never loved anyone but Natsu before in my life. And I doubted I ever would, but could I really stand to live with so much heartache? It didn't seem right. And what about all the lies? The betrayal I felt from him was still too great to forgive. I didn't know anymore if there would be a time when I would look at him at completely trust everything he was telling me. And was that really anyway to love someone? I didn't really know the answer to that either.

I was torn between never wanting to see Natsu again and racing into his arms and simply letting us be together despite the pain and betrayal because our love had to be something greater than either of those. But I hesitated between the two, unable to decide. Because the truth was, it was no longer my decision. I had another person to think of now and neither one seemed right for my baby. Our baby. I couldn't cut Natsu out of their life any more than I could allow him into it completely. Either one wouldn't be right or fair to our child. They deserved to know their father and vice versa, but I couldn't risk letting Natsu hurt them like he had me either.

"Natsu…I think I can forgive you," a smile began to break across his face, but disappeared the moment I added: "eventually. And I need some more time to evaluate what that does to us. Whether I can ever be with you as anything more than friends."

He grimaced, but nodded. "I guess I can understand that…"

"And there's something I have to tell you as well." The truth burned at my chest and I wondered why I'd ever thought it was a good idea to lie in the first place. It was so much harder to tell the truth now than it would have been then. "I lied to you, about my pregnancy. Jason and I never had sex."

His face flickered between confusion and disbelief. "Then you're not pregnant?"

I swallowed heavily and shook my head. "No, I'm pregnant. The baby isn't Jason's. It's yours."


	21. Chapter 21

**A/N:**** I don't have all that much to say...Let me know what you think! I'm not overly excited about how this ended, but I think this has gone on long enough. Love you all and thank you so much for begin patient with me and reviewing/following/favoriting as long as you have. t honestly means that world since this was my first story on this site. :) (Also check out my other story Tears Run Gold, it's another Nalu with mixes of Sting and Yukino thrown in as well. It might help you deal with this one ending)**

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Natsu froze at my words, his eyes seared into mine. I waited patiently as he processed my words. I'd lied to him for almost as long as he'd been lying to me, and while I felt that my reasons were justified, that didn't excuse my choice, simply explained it, so it was only fair to give him time to work his mind around what I'd just admitted.

"Mine?" I nodded and watched my confirmation work its way into Natsu's mind. His expressionless face began to transform; first disbelief, then confusion, followed by frustration, and ending with…I wasn't exactly sure. A cross between happiness and anger perhaps.

When it appeared he was down thinking and instead was waiting for me to explain, I spoke, "at the time I thought it was a good idea to lie about who the father was. I thought you had no idea that the two of us had even had sex and it seemed like you and Lisanna were hitting it off again and I hadn't wanted to ruin that for you. I knew that you deserved to know the truth, but I couldn't bring myself to tell you. I was too weak I guess. Too afraid of what the consequences would be. I'd already lost you as my best friend and I couldn't bare to force you into a role you didn't want, at least not with me"

"But you were wrong." His words were soft, but felt like hot coals on my skin. He was struggling to understand my logic, but the anger was preventing that. I couldn't really blame him, it was how I felt when he told me he'd lied as well.

"I know I was wrong Natsu, but think about it from my perspective! I'd thought the guy I love had finally worked it out and wanted me as much as I wanted him only to wake up alone and forgotten. That destroyed me. I wanted to leave the guild for a second because it felt like losing my mom all over again. But then you didn't remember anything and it was like another knife to my gut. Something so important and meaningful to me was erased from your memory as if it was nothing at all." Natsu opened his mouth to interrupt, but I cut him off before he could, the words flowing hot and angry out of my mouth. "You don't know how that feels, because I'd been wrong, you weren't leaving me in the way my mother and father and every other person seems to have, you'd never been there in the first place. At the time, I thought I had fooled myself into thinking you cared about me as anything more than a friend. Nothing is worse than thinking you know where you stand with someone only to find out you were so, so very wrong. But then I thought we could at least go back to the way things used to be between us. Back to being friends and nakama and I could deal with that because at least you were in my life, but then I found out I was pregnant and that hope was shattered as well. How could we be friends when I was pregnant with your child? You'd always feel responsible for me and that would destroy you Natsu. You give everything to our guild and you would have given everything to be there for me and our child, and, to my knowledge, you didn't even want to be with me in that way! You wanted that with Lisanna, and I couldn't ruin that for you. I love you and I want you to be so happy, because you deserve to be happy. And I thought Lisanna was going to be the one to bring you that happiness. So I panicked and took the easy way out of the situation. I lied and used Jason to back up my lie. It was wrong and a little bit selfish in the scheme of things, but I hadn't meant it to be at the time. I promise I hadn't planned on it hurting you, I was just doing my best with what little I could. Because I didn't know that you felt the same way about me that I feel about you." I could feel the tears burning at the back of my throat and I desperately wanted to continue defending my choice and explaining it to him until he understood, but if I tried to talk anymore I would break down and that wouldn't be fair. Natsu needed to get his anger and frustration out without worrying about hurting my feelings, and if I was crying he'd swallow everything he wanted to say down just to keep me happy. I didn't want that.

"You thought that I didn't have a right to know that I was about to become a father? Lucy, what the hell! You criticize me for lying to you about not remembering, and here you are justifying lying about something far worse!" I flinched. "That child, our child, deserves to know its father! Were you really going to let it grow up not knowing who its actual father was?! Or were you going to tell the truth then? Because I can tell you it fucking sucks not having a father, hell you should know that!"

"I know how it feels having a father who doesn't give a crap about you, because that's how mine acted when I was growing up. That only changed recently, but it was too late to erase everything I had to go through growing up without a mother or father. So I know how it feels to see someone care more about something than their own daughter and I didn't want to put my own child through that! Because face it Natsu, if I'd been right and you did love Lisanna than she and whatever family you had with her would come first. Or if you decided not to pursue a relationship with her and instead stayed with me…what kind of life would that be for us? Forcing you to stay out of responsibility? You'd grow to hate me and our child!" I cried at him.

"And how was the different than letting Jason be the father!" He roared back.

I opened my mouth to respond, but hesitated. He was right. Everything I'd just argued was exactly what would have happened had I forced Jason to pretend to be the father. It was even more unfair because there was no reason for Jace to pretend other than because he was my friend and he'd simply been here at the right time to help.

"I'm a hypocrite." I whispered, feeling my anger dissipate completely and be replaced with emptiness.

Natsu sighed. "Lucy…"

"No," I shook my head as the tears began to run down my face. "I tell you that I don't know if I can forgive you for what you've done to me and yet here I am expecting the same thing from you. What I did…was so much…worse!"

"No it wasn't." Natsu said softly, reaching across our small distance and hesitantly pulling me to him. When I didn't resist and instead sank into his hold, his arms tightened around me. "Like you said you were doing the best you could at the time. You didn't know that I love you, and you were afraid. It's my fault for putting you in that position in the first place." Sobbing into him, I shook my head. "Alright, how about we're both partly to blame in all this?"

"Can you forgive me?" I managed through my tears, gripping his shoulders as I spoke, afraid he'd drop me here and now.

"I already have Luce." He placed a kiss on my head and I felt as if a spring within me had been released. All the tension and negativity left my body at the simple action, and for the first time in weeks I relaxed completely and allowed myself to enjoy the feeling of his arms around me while I cried.

"Natsu," I began after my tears had mostly halted. "You know, I think I was wrong." Pulling back slightly, I looked into his onyx eyes, filled with confusion and worry, "I know I can forgive you. I already have, you're the most important person to me, you always have been. I don't want to loose you ever again." He smiled slightly before taking my lips with his own.

"I'm never leaving you again, Lucy, I promise." He murmured against my skin as his lips made their way from mine to the skin on my neck. "I love you and I will make up all those tears I made you shed with smiles and laughter." He pulled back and looked into my eyes, as if to be sure I believed him. "You're my mate Lucy, and nothing will ever change the way I feel about you."

A wide smile broke across my face at his words, even in my wildest dreams I hadn't imagined hearing those words would feel so good. "I can't imagine anything better." He smiled before bringing his lips back to mine. 'His mate,' I repeated over and over again in my mind, letting the happiness wash over me and melt away all the pain and suffering I'd put myself through in the past two months. His mate; nothing had ever sounded sweeter or more perfect.


End file.
